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.
