CHICAGO -- While the baseball world was buzzing with the Yankees’ move to [acquire veteran slugger Edwin Encarnacion from the Mariners](https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/edwin-encarnacion-trade-yankees \"undefined\"), back at Guaranteed Rate Field, the team looked to avoid dropping its fourth consecutive game.\n\nAfter playing poorly Friday, the Yankees needed to come out like a team that knew it needed to be better, and New York did just that in Saturday night’s 8-4 victory over the White Sox.\n\nWith the Yankees’ starting rotation in flux and
\n\n“He was terrific. Lighting up the radar gun, too,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He was real crisp. I thought his slider was good to the right-handed hitters, which made his fastball play even more.”\n\nAfter Green’s two innings of dominance, it was recently recalled left-hander [Nestor Cortes Jr.](https://www.mlb.com/player/nestor-cortes-jr-641482 \"undefined\")'s turn to carry the torch, and he followed Green with a stellar outing of his own.\n\nCortes held the White Sox to two runs over his five-plus innings of work, striking out a career-high seven batters and earning his first Major League win in the process.
\n\n“The first few times, I was a little nervous, just trying to get my feet wet. Obviously, I’m more confident putting zeros up,” Cortes said. “I talk to myself on the mound, just saying, ‘Make a pitch, make a pitch,’ and not worry about the strikeout.”\n\n“It's tough with the opener, especially a guy like that, he comes out throwing 98. It's a guy that's pitched at the back end of the game. And then they bring in a lefty,” White Sox catcher James McCann said. “Tip your cap to him, he threw the ball extremely well tonight. We had some frustrating at-bats, but overall he made his pitches. There weren't a lot of mistakes thrown tonight, and we obviously weren't able to take advantage of mistakes that weren't there.\"\n\nThe offense also showed up in support of Green and Cortes. After struggling to push across runs Friday, the Yankees were able to get to White Sox starter Reynaldo Lopez.\n\nA four-run fourth inning started the team’s offensive attack.\n\n
\"I was commanding my pitches. I was locating my pitches where I wanted,” Lopez said. “It was just a bad inning. I don’t know how Torres hit that homer, because that was a good pitch. That was a good changeup, and he was able to hit it. I tip my cap to him.\"
\n\nWith a lineup that is going to get two of its best hitters in