Home runs by Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Volpe help Gerrit Cole get 10th win as Yankees top Rays to avoid sweep

A Yankees team drowning in a sea of negativity for a couple of months now found temporary refuge Wednesday night.

Behind another good outing from Gerrit Cole, who continues his emergence as one of the favorites to win the AL Cy Young Award, and big home runs from Anthony Volpe and Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees beat the Rays, 7-2, to snap a three-game losing streak in front of 38,740 at the Stadium.

“It was good to put up some runs for him [Cole],” said Stanton, who went 2-for-4 with four RBIs. “We know we only need one or two normally for him, so it was good to jump out there.”

Cole, whose extensive resume lacks a Cy Young, shrugged off a two-run first to control the Rays the rest of the way. Cole (10-2, 2.64), even though he wasn’t especially pleased with his pitches other than his curveball, allowed two runs (on Wander Franco’s first-inning homer), four hits and two walks over seven innings. He struck out eight.

“That’s why he’s our ace,” said Isiah Kiner-Falefa, whose two-assist night from leftfield highlighted an overall strong effort from the defense.

Cole was buoyed by a five-run third, the kind of offensive eruption mostly missing in recent months, an inning that included a two-run homer by Volpe (an important blast as it tied the score at 2, the relief in the dugout palpable) and a three-run shot by Stanton that put the Yankees ahead for good. Volpe went 3-for-4 with two RBIs to raise his batting average to .214 with a .671 OPS. Gleyber Torres also had three hits.

“I just think up and down the lineup . . . I thought we had a great approach and we put together great at-bats,” Volpe said. “It was nice to see it translate into some results.”

The Yankees (56-52), still in last place in the AL East, are 10 games behind the division-leading Orioles and 3 ½ games behind the Blue Jays for the third wild-card spot. They avoided a sweep by the Rays (66-45).

“Exciting night for us offensively,” Aaron Boone said.

The Yankees toppled one of the league’s best pitchers, lefty Shane McClanahan, who came in 11-1 with a 3.00 ERA, though with mixed results in his career against the Yankees. He entered 1-3 with a 3.93 ERA in seven previous outings, including 0-2 with a 5.51 ERA in four starts at the Stadium.

He more resembled that pitcher, allowing five runs and five hits over four innings. The Yankees, who next face their postseason nemesis, the Astros, for four games here starting Thursday, outhit the Rays, 13-6.

“We’ve had some of these games, now it’s about trying to string them together,” Boone said. “Hopefully, we can put together a consistent week. We know we have a good team coming in, more good pitching coming our way, but hopefully we can at least continue to make it difficult on them, especially opposing starters.”

Cole walked Rays leadoff man Yandy Diaz in the first, then watched Franco plant a 1-and-0 changeup 431 feet into the suite level (third deck), his 14th homer making it 2-0.

McClanahan retired the first six he faced before the Yankees got to him in the third, an inning ignited by Harrison Bader’s leadoff double. Volpe then sent a 2-and-2, 98-mph fastball opposite-field to right for his 14th homer. It was Volpe’s first homer since July 9.

Kiner-Falefa singled with one out, Aaron Judge lined out to right, but Torres banged a single up the middle to put runners at the corners. Stanton roped a 3-and-1, 97-mph fastball 408 feet to right-center, his 15th homer to make it 5-2.

But Cole, who followed the outburst by striking out the side in the fourth and would retire the last seven he faced, suggested Volpe’s blast was the key.

“Gosh, [McClanahan] is so good, so any time you can scrap back in a game like that after I put [us] in a hole, it’s a big lift,” Cole said. “It just energized us.”