Down Judge, Yanks blitz D-backs behind steady Cole, pick up a game on Rays

PHOENIX -- Gerrit Cole had never surrendered seven home runs over a two-start span before his most recent outings, and with the playoffs around the corner, there was concern that the Yankees’ right-hander might have hit a wall.

Most of that came from outside the clubhouse.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone affirmed Friday that Cole should expect to draw a start if his team lands in the American League Wild Card Series, and the veteran made good on his promise to fix the long-ball issue, pitching well in a 9-2 victory over the Diamondbacks at Chase Field on Friday night.

"I don’t think we did a perfect job tonight, but I think we moved the needle in the right direction,” Cole said. “I think there’s still some meat on the bone there. It’s not easy, but it’s necessary. It’s the big leagues.”

The victory was the 162nd of Cole’s career, surpassing Mike Moore (161) for the most by a pitcher selected first overall in the MLB Draft. David Price is third, with 157 wins after he was selected in the 2007 Draft by the Rays.

Hours after Cody Bellinger said the team would have to “lean on each other” to overcome Aaron Judge’s absence, the Yankees (89-64) won for the 11th time in 15 games, moving within four games of the Rays in the AL East.

Diagnosed with a right calf strain, the three-time AL MVP is slated to be placed on the injured list Saturday and could miss the rest of the regular season.

“It’s a tough blow for us to take,” said Ben Rice, who hit his team-leading 39th homer in the victory. “We were missing him for a long time, so this one is especially hard to swallow. But we’ve got no choice but to just keep playing hard and keep doing our thing.”

Winning without Judge hasn’t been easy for the Yanks, who entered Friday averaging nearly a run more per game (5.1) with him than without him (4.2).

You wouldn’t have been able to tell in a five-run first inning, as each of the first five batters reached base and scored against left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez.

Rice worked a bases-loaded walk, Amed Rosario lifted a run-scoring single and George Lombard Jr. stroked a two-run single -- part of a three-RBI night for the rookie, who launched a sixth-inning homer that chased Rodriguez.

“It was great from the start -- just good at-bats all around,” Lombard said. “Obviously, there was a good pitcher on the mound. We made him work.”

Rice's 39th homer fulfilled a spring prediction made by manager Aaron Boone. But … why 39?

“I knew what he was doing. He was trying to get under my skin a little,” Rice said with a grin. “He likes to short you one or two of what your goal would be.”

With Judge shelved again, the Yankees believe pitching will be their greatest strength going into the postseason.

Cam Schlittler, the American League’s likely Cy Young Award winner, is lined up to start a potential Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series, with Max Fried and Carlos Rodón also having thrown the ball well of late.

• Fellow Yankees running out of superlatives to describe Schlittler's dominance

Cole’s six strong innings offered his team another reason for confidence.

“I think a lot of people probably overreacted to a couple of outings that, frankly, are inevitable in a long season,” Boone said. “The reality is, he’s having an outstanding season. He’s throwing the ball really well. A great pitcher like him is going to be able to make some adjustments.”

Cole had served up leadoff homers in his previous two starts. Having spent time focusing on his delivery and potential pitch-tipping issues since his last outing against the Mets, Cole set Arizona down in order during a 12-pitch first inning.

“I just tried to flush the last [start] as quick as possible and get on to tightening up a little bit of the delivery,” Cole said. “It’s just making sure we got the ball to better areas more often. … Overall, I just need to stay a little bit more compact and stay over my legs.”

Corbin Carroll cracked a two-run homer off Cole, a four-seam fastball that missed its location, but that was all the D-backs managed. Throwing 90 pitches (62 for strikes), Cole scattered four hits, walking none and striking out six.

Cole said the Yankees’ response after absorbing the Judge news showed a lot -- including a preview of what could be yet to come.

“We’ve been in this position before this year,” Cole said. “Unfortunately, it’s our reality at this point. We came out tonight with a good mentality and played really good baseball. That’s a recipe for success, regardless of who is in the lineup.”