Yankees' rotation proving to be special

TORONTO — There were a slew of questions regarding the Yankees’ rotation entering this season.

They essentially boiled down to this: who, after Gerrit Cole, really can be considered a sure thing?

The answer after more that a month of the season is easy: pretty much all of them.

Going into Nestor Cortes’ start Wednesday night here against the Blue Jays, as the Yankees tried for a three-game sweep and their 12th straight victory overall, the team’s rotation had posted a 2.80 ERA, the second-lowest such mark in the American League, trailing only the Twins’ 2.63. The group has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 23 of 24 starts entering Wednesday night and two earned runs or fewer in 19 of those starts.

“They really are,” Aaron Boone said of the rotation giving his team a chance to win each game. “Look, we came in confident in them and they’ve all taken their turn. And whether it’s been a lights-out outing or something less than that, generally speaking, we’ve been in the game every time they’ve taken the mound . . . I think they’re all in a good groove right now and they’re setting the tone every night for us and allowing us to be in this position.”

A position few Yankees’ teams have been in this far into a season in the franchise’s distinguished history.

The Bombers took a Major League-best 18-6 record into Wednesday, that record marking just the seventh time in club history they’ve won at least 18 of their first 24 games (the last time was 2003 when the Yankees burst from the gate 20-4).

And while a potent offense has garnered a lot of the attention for that — and not without cause as the Yankees had hit an MLB-leading 34 homers going into Wednesday night — a straw poll in the clubhouse will bring more praise for the pitching than the hitting.

“The rotation is special,” Aaron Judge said after Tuesday night’s 9-1 victory in which he went 2-for-5 with a homer and two-run double.

Jameson Taillon was the latest member of the rotation to throw a standout game Tuesday when he allowed one run and five hits over six innings, which improved the righthander to 2-1 with a 2.84 ERA.

“We’re keeping the team in the game, and then with the bullpen we have, if we can turn it over to the bullpen with a lead or a close game, I like our chances,” Taillon said. “It’s been consistent efforts. Our starting staff is extremely prepared, our catchers are extremely prepared and that allows us to keep our team in the games.”

Cole, who starts Friday against the Rangers at the Stadium after Thursday’s off-day, is 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA, rebounding from three erratic starts to begin the season. Luis Severino, a question mark because of an injury history that limited him to just seven outings in the previous three seasons, is 2-0 with a 3.75 ERA. Jordan Montgomery is 0-1 but with a 2.88 ERA, the unimpressive win-loss record the result of a complete lack of run support more than anything else. Cortes was 1-0 with a 1.31 ERA going into Wednesday’s outing.

“It’s been fun to watch the guys just grinding hitters down and keeping us in every ballgame,” said Giancarlo Stanton, whose two-run homer in the ninth Tuesday made it 9-1. “That’s the biggest part.”

The unit, not surprisingly, has been especially good during the 11-game winning streak, posting a 2.64 ERA.

“In years past, Severino was our ace. Then we went out and got the best pitcher in the game [Cole] and we’ve got Luis Severino as our [No. 2],” Judge said. “Jameson, what he did [Tuesday] was special. We’ve got Nasty Nestor going [Wednesday] . . . it’s a nasty rotation. It’s guys who don’t give in. They go out there and compete every single day and just give us zeros. When you give this offense a couple innings to get flowing, good things are going to happen.”

By Erik Boland

erik.boland@newsday.comeboland11

Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.