Clarke Schmidt dazzles in return to help Yankees shut out Cubs with rotation decisions looming

CHICAGO — That rotation decision is not getting any easier for the Yankees, in a good way.

For the second straight day, a starter returned from the injured list to turn in a scoreless outing.

And the starter who was squeezed out of the rotation for them, at least for one time through, was even better in relief.

After Luis Gil tossed six innings on Friday, Clarke Schmidt picked up where he left off and delivered 4 ²/₃ shutout innings on a pitch count to help send the Yankees to a 2-0 win over the Cubs on Saturday afternoon at a crisp Wrigley Field.

Nestor Cortes, who admitted he was “upset” about being moved to the bullpen (even if it is temporary), piggybacked Schmidt and pitched a dominant 4 ¹/₃ innings to finish off the game as the Yankees recorded their second straight shutout win.

“Early in the season, we had two or three months where we were probably the best rotation in baseball, numbers-wise,” Schmidt said of the rotation that had an MLB-low 2.77 ERA through June 14. “I wouldn’t say that’s out of the realm now. Obviously we have a lot of talented guys on this staff, whoever it is. We have a lot of depth, which is really good, and we also have guys at the high end who are at the best of their game. So really exciting for this staff.”