It had been more than two weeks since the Yankees had allowed as many as six runs in a game, and when Nestor Cortes retired the first nine Twins batters he faced on Wednesday, that streak seemed sure to grow.

But in a rare clunker, Cortes and the Yankees faltered, losing 8-1, to end their seven-game winning streak.

The day started with manager Aaron Boone talking about Cortes’ chances of starting the All-Star game, based on the stellar beginning to his season, but the left-hander gave up a season-high four runs in 4 ¹/₃ innings.

Cortes entered with an MLB-best 1.50 ERA, and Wednesday marked the first time he has allowed more than three runs in a start since last season — a stretch of 19 straight outings.

“There’s gonna be ups and downs in a season,’’ Cortes said. “It’s whether you come back the next time and weather the storm.”

The loss to the Twins was also a rarity, as the Yankees had beaten Minnesota five times in a row, and nine out of their last 10 meetings. Since 2015, the Yankees were 30-10 versus Minnesota — but Boone wasn’t interested in those stats.

The pushback from the Lightning was inevitable, and every Ranger acknowledged it after they built a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Final, but the team did not look ready for it.

The Rangers allowed the Lightning to waltz right back into the series with back-to-back wins at home, including the 4-1 beating the visitors took in Game 4 Tuesday night at Amalie Arena, to knot this best-of-the-East showdown at two-all heading back to the Garden.

The Rangers had a golden opportunity, and they swung and missed, twice. It may have cost them a trip to the Stanley Cup Final.

The Lightning looked like an entirely different team in the last two games, like the reigning back-to-back champions that they are. The Rangers, on the other hand, didn’t look anything like the squad that outscored Tampa Bay 9-4 through Games 1 and 2.

As the Lightning rediscovered their championship-winning formula, the Rangers fell back into habits that plagued them through the start of the season, when goalie Igor Shesterkin carried them to a respectable record as they worked out the kinks in their game.

This year’s Home Run Derby will be held at Dodger Stadium, where the event’s two-time defending champion got into blast mode Saturday night.

Pete Alonso smashed two home runs, resurrecting an offense that had been silenced in the first two games of this series and ensuring the Mets would avoid the unchartered waters this season of a three-game losing streak.

The Mets rolled to a 9-4 victory, beating the Dodgers for just the sixth time in 30 games since 2017. Overall, the Mets hit four homers, matching a season-high they established in the home opener against Arizona on April 15.

“We just needed the win today,” Alonso said. “That’s a high-quality opponent and the past couple of nights were tough games and their pitching staff did a great job.”

Alonso hit a two-run homer in the third and three-run blast in the seventh to finish with five RBIs, tying him for the MLB lead with 53.