Bats come alive as Yankees back their ace

NEW YORK -- After the dust settled and discussions ended after Tuesday’s 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline, all that was left was to compete between the lines. And following the Yankees’ decision to “double down” with the roster at hand in order to crawl their way into playoff position, reality set in for the remaining guys in the clubhouse -- it’s time to shape up.

On the heels of a quiet Deadline day, the Bronx Bombers woke up Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium. In a battle between American League Cy Young Award hopefuls, the Yankees tagged Shane McClanahan for five runs, giving ace Gerrit Cole ample run support on the way to a 7-2 win.

“It was good to put up some runs for him,” said Giancarlo Stanton. “We know we only need one or two normally for him. So it was good to jump out there.”

Cole went seven innings, striking out eight while allowing two runs on four hits and two walks. Anthony Volpe snuck a two-run blast over the wall in right field, and Stanton crushed a three-run homer with an exit velocity of 110.5 mph in New York’s five-run outburst in the third frame.

The Yankees have won 16 of 23 games in which Cole has started. And following a loss, New York is 9-0 in his starts. Manager Aaron Boone noted that Cole’s presence on the mound has continually provided a semblance of comfort to the team.

Cole, who notched his 10th win of the season and maintained his AL lead with a 2.64 ERA, continued his role as the preeminent “stopper” on the Yankees’ staff. After allowing a loud second-deck homer to Wander Franco in the first inning, Cole settled in tremendously, retiring six consecutive batters on two occasions.

“I think it was a bit of a grind for him tonight. I mean, he makes it look easy,” said Boone. “I thought he did a good job using his cutter. … That cutter away played a good part for him. It was a really good performance against a good team.”

Against the Rays, Cole threw his cutter 22 percent of the time, equal to his slider. His cutter was his most effective pitch, inducing four of his 12 whiffs while also producing the lowest average exit velocity of his five pitches (85.1 mph).

That reliance on an oft-overlooked weapon in Cole’s arsenal stemmed from the need to make an adjustment after a first inning when two of the three exit velocities were at least 103 mph.

“Just had to change a few of the pitch priorities and understand how the stuff was working tonight,” said Cole. “I wouldn’t say [the fastball] was plus tonight. … The slider was in good chase spots, but wasn’t really feathering the corner like last week.

“The cutter seemed to have better command in the strike zone, and the curveball seemed to be really sharp -- it was a good weapon to supplement the slider in those attack situations.”

Cole’s stabilizing presence on the mound was needed as the Yankees received the news that Domingo Germán would be submitting to inpatient treatment for alcohol abuse before the game. Cole, whose trademark intensity and focus between the lines has become a hallmark of his pitching persona, didn’t shy away from sharing how the emotions of the news would impact the team.

“It affects you as a human being,” said Cole. “You care about your teammates, and you care about your teammates’ families. And so it’s a sad situation, and you want the best for Domingo.”

On the field, the Yankees put in a complete team effort against McClanahan, one of the AL’s best starters, to snap a three-game losing streak. Volpe and Gleyber Torres had three hits each, while Isiah Kiner-Falefa racked up two assists from left field.

The watershed moment came in the form of redemption for Stanton in the third inning. After striking out in the ninth inning of Tuesday’s loss as the potential tying run, Stanton turned around a 3-1, 97.2 mph fastball from McClanahan for an opposite-field blast, propelling the Yankees to a three-run lead they wouldn’t relinquish. The impact of the opportunity to pick himself up wasn’t lost on Stanton, or his manager.

“I thought the whole at-bat he was in control, against a really good pitcher,” said Boone. “He didn’t miss the heater right there, and drilled it. That’s what we need. We need ‘Big G’ to be a menace in the middle.”