Jays deal Yanks another blow
Betances blows save, Yankees fall to Toronto with Red Sox next
NEW YORK — Red SoxYankees in late September — as sure a thing as exists for baseball’s schedule makers. AL East powers, historic foes, duking it out for a division title.
Not this time. With Boston’s iron grip on the majors’ best record, New York is going into the rivalry’s last regular season series with a rather mundane mantra.
“Trying to get right,” manager Aaron Boone said.
Dellin Betances blew a onerun lead in the eighth inning, sending the Yankees stumbling into their midweek set against baseball’s top team with a 3-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.
The Yankees maintained a 1 1/2-game lead over Oakland for the top AL wild card after the A’s lost to the Rays 5-4. New York has a magic number of six to clinch a playoff spot after dropping two of three to Toronto. The Yankees are 7-10 in their past 17 games.
“We have to play better, clearly,” Boone said. “We’re not playing our best right now. But the history of this game is littered with stories of teams that went into the playoffs in different scenarios. Limping, playing great. The bottom line is you have to be playing right when it counts. Don’t mistake that for, ‘This is OK,’ but I still believe at my core that we have everyone in that room to do something special.”
New York opens a three-game home series against Boston on Tuesday afternoon. The Red Sox are assured of no worse than a wild card, lead the AL East by 11 1/2 games and would clinch the division with one win in the Bronx.
The Yankees hope Aaron Judge can help keep Boston’s bubbly corked. Boone said the All-Star slugger could return to the lineup during the series. Judge hasn’t been cleared to hit against live pitching since breaking his right wrist July 26, though he’s been hitting off a high-velocity pitching machine and feels no discomfort while swinging. The Yankees are 26-22 since Judge was injured.
“Sooner the better,” Judge said of his return.