Red Sox Slide Raises Stakes For Do-Or-Die Yankees Clash

The Boston Red Sox are limping into one of their most important series of the year.

After wasting chance after chance in a disappointing loss Tuesday to the Baltimore Orioles, Boston heads into a road showdown with the New York Yankees clinging to the last Wild Card slot and staring at a four-game test against the rival Yankees.

The margin for error is gone, and how the Red Sox respond in The Bronx may shape the rest of their season.

Tuesday’s 4-3, 11-inning defeat against the Orioles was the latest in a string of letdowns. The Red Sox went 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position and left 13 men on base.

Baltimore’s sweep at Fenway came on the heels of a series loss to the Miami Marlins, turning a promising homestand into a 2-3 stumble against teams with losing records. The skid dropped Boston to the third Wild Card slot, with New York now pacing the race.

The Red Sox still hold a slim 2½-game edge over the Kansas City Royals, but time is running out.

A 4-8 stretch since mid-August has undone the momentum from a seven-game winning streak. Alex Bregman admitted, “Obviously, this last series wasn’t our best baseball, our brand of baseball,” as transcribed by Trevor Haas of Boston.com.

Walker Buehler has battled command issues, and the bullpen has faltered in four straight games.

Alex Cora pointed to the missed chances at the plate, saying, “We didn’t put the ball in play enough,” according to Haas.

Yet the rotation offers hope: Lucas Giolito, Brayan Bello, Garrett Crochet and Dustin May are lined up, and all delivered solid outings in their last turns. Boston has also taken five of six from New York this season.

The edge of baseball’s most historic rivalry may have dulled over the years, though the pressure remains.

“We just can’t reanimate the furor and substance of the past,” Joel Sherman wrote in the New York Post. Still, the Red Sox swept the Yankees in June, and Sherman added, “The Red Sox are in the Yankees’ head.”

With seven matchups left, Boston’s ability to rattle New York could be decisive.

This weekend will reveal whether the Red Sox can flip their season back in the right direction.