NEW YORK (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton homered and drove in four runs to lead Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees past the Tampa Bay Rays 7-2 on Wednesday night, preventing a three-game sweep.
Cole (10-2) recovered from a rocky start and beat Shane McClanahan (11-2) in a marquee matchup of All-Star aces. New York scored five times in the third inning, highlighted by rookie Anthony Volpe’s two-run homer and Stanton’s three-run shot.
“He’s a nasty pitcher,” Stanton said of McClanahan. “So you’ve got to square the ball up and make sure we’re swinging at our pitch and not let him dictate at-bats.”
Stanton added a run-scoring single in the seventh to match his season high for RBIs. He also had four on July 15 in Colorado.
“Shane is so good,” Cole said. “Anytime you can scrap back in a game like that after I put them in a hole, it’s a big lift for us.”
McClanahan’s outing was cut short partly because the outside of his forearm tightened up while he was warming up for the fourth. He will head back to Florida on Thursday to get examined by the team doctor.
“It’s one of those things where outside of it just kind of got tight and kind of grabbed me a little bit,” McClanahan said.
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New York finished with 13 hits and scored its seventh run when Gleyber Torres came home on a double steal. It was the Yankees’ most hits since also getting 13 at Oakland on June 29.
“Obviously, an exciting night for us offensively and I thought it started from jump street,” manager Aaron Boone said.
Cole allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings. He struck out eight, walked two and improved to 6-0 after a Yankees loss this season.
“I thought it was a really good performance against a good team when I think he was grinding a bit out there tonight,” Boone said.
The right-hander walked his first batter before Wander Franco sent a 1-0 fastball into a suite overlooking the second deck in right field for his career-best 14th homer.
Later, the Yankees’ defence gave Cole some help.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa got his first two outfield assists by making throws from left field to get René Pinto and Manuel Margot trying to stretch singles in the third and fifth, respectively.
Center fielder Harrison Bader made a sliding catch at the warning track in left-center on Franco in the sixth.
New York sent eight batters to the plate and saw 37 pitches in the third. Volpe’s homer off McClanahan to the short porch in right tied it 2-all. Following singles by Kiner-Falefa and Torres, Stanton launched his 15th homer to right-center.
Stanton connected one night after striking out as a pinch-hitter on a 98 mph fastball against Pete Fairbanks with two on to end a 5-2 loss.
“Two guys on, two outs, opportunity to make an impact, so it was good to see this one today,” Stanton said.
The last-place Yankees (56-52) improved to 2-4 since Aaron Judge came off the injured list Friday. New York won for the eighth time in 22 games since July 4.
McClanahan allowed five runs and five hits in four innings. The left-hander is winless in his last six outings since June 16.
“The last few outings have been pretty uncharacteristic,” he said. “It’s one of those times in my career where you either put your head down and hide or you keep your chest up and keep working.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rays: OF Luke Raley exited with a bruised right knee after fouling a ball off his kneecap in the fourth. Raley hobbled around, used the bat to hold himself up and finished his at-bat by striking out.
Yankees: LHP Nestor Cortes (strained rotator cuff) will return to the rotation for his first start since May 30 on Saturday against Houston. … RHP Jonathan Loáisiga (right elbow inflammation) threw nine pitches in his second rehab appearance for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He will make another rehab appearance Friday and could be activated next week. … OF Willie Calhoun elected free agency this week instead of accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A.
GERMAN LEAVES TEAM
Yankees pitcher Domingo Germán has voluntarily entered inpatient treatment for alcohol abuse, the team announced.
Germán, who threw a perfect game at Oakland in late June, was placed on the restricted list two days before his 31st birthday. New York general manager Brian Cashman said Germán will not pitch again this season.
“It is critical that Domingo completely focuses on addressing his health and well-being,” the Yankees said in a statement. “We will respect his privacy as he begins this process.”
UP NEXT
Tampa Bay RHP Zack Littell (1-2, 4.85 ERA) opposes RHP Reese Olson (1-4, 4.71) in the opener of a three-game series Friday at Detroit.
Yankees RHP Clarke Schmidt (7-6, 4.39 ERA) faces Houston RHP Cristian Javier (7-2, 4.33) in the opener of a four-game series Thursday night, the first meeting between the teams since the Astros finished off a four-game ALCS sweep last October.
— With files from Sportsnet
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