Clarke Schmidt dazzles in return to help Yankees shut out Cubs

CHICAGO — That rotation decision is not getting any easier for the Yankees.

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

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, squeezed out of the rotation (for one turn, at least for now), piggybacked Schmidt and followed with a dominant 4 ¹/₃ innings to finish off the game.

Aaron Boone had Luke Weaver warming for a potential second straight save, but stuck with the cruising Cortes and was rewarded for it.

The Yankees (82-60) clinched the series victory after dropping their last three and will have a chance to sweep the Cubs (72-70) on Sunday with Gerrit Cole on the mound.

Schmidt, making his first start since May 26 (he was diagnosed with a strained lat a few days later), scattered four hits and one walk while striking out a pair across 75 pitches.

He had made three rehab starts but did not build his pitch count all the way back, which is why the Yankees picked Saturday as the day to have Cortes pitch in relief.

At the time he landed on the injured list, Schmidt had pitched to a 2.82 ERA across his first 11 starts of the season.

If the Yankees are getting that pitcher back, it will give them another strong option to start playoff-level games down the stretch and potentially in October.

But at some point, they will have to make a decision about who gets dropped from the rotation.

Cortes is expected to start later this week in the series against the Red Sox (which starts on Thursday in The Bronx), as the Yankees use a six-man rotation one time through.

But that will be trimmed down to five by the following week, with the odd man out expected to move to the bullpen.