Boone bristles at Bombers being HR reliant

Aaron Boone’s first season as a manager couldn’t be going much better than it has with the Yankees racing to the best record in the majors.

So there hasn’t been much for Boone to get worked up about, but after Thursday’s 4-3 win over the Mariners in The Bronx — a win that saw the Yankees hit two more homers, leading to all of their runs — he bristled at the notion the Yankees were a “home run or nothing team.”

“I think it’s a silly argument, I really do,’’ Boone said. “Does it bother me? That does bother me, actually. If a great pitcher shuts us down, it’s because a great pitcher shuts us down. He can shut down a team that doesn’t hit home runs, too.”

With their two homers Thursday — two-run shots by Aaron Judge and Miguel Andujar that came in the first inning off lefty James Paxton — the Yankees have 122 home runs on the season in just 72 games.

That’s 15 more than the team next on the list — the Red Sox — have hit in 76 games.

The Yankees are 7-6 in games in which they don’t go deep, but Boone believes it’s a mistake to paint the Yankees as a homer-reliant team.

“If [Houston’s Justin] Verlander has a good outing against you, or Paxton goes out and shuts us down, it’s gonna be because we didn’t hit homers and we strike out?” a somewhat incredulous Boone said.

Masahiro Tanaka (hamstrings) played catch on flat ground again Thursday and Boone said he would be with the team in St. Petersburg, Fla., for their series against the Rays, scheduled to throw a bullpen session Sunday.

A.J. Cole was placed on the disabled list with a pinched nerve in his neck Thursday, with Luis Cessa taking his spot on the staff.

Boone said Cole, who pitched two innings Tuesday, felt the injury while playing catch Wednesday. Cessa has been on a rehab assignment, coming back from an oblique injury, and was scheduled to start for Double-A Trenton on Thursday night.

“We felt like we needed length,’’ Boone said.

In case you were under the impression that everyone was playing well for the Yankees, that’s not actually the case. Greg Bird still hasn’t found a rhythm at the plate after going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts Thursday. He has seven hits in his past 46 at-bats. Both strikeouts came against Paxton and Bird is 1-for-12 with five strikeouts and four walks versus lefties on the year.

Neil Walker, who filled in at third, was also held hitless and is in a 3-for-26 funk since May 27, with no extrabase hits, three walks and eight strikeouts.