BIRD, YANKS GROUNDED

Greg exits for pinch-hitter as Bombers drop further back

WHITE SOX 4 YANKEES 1

We will on Saturday turn the page on the calendar to the final month of the regular season. The Yankees have 29 regularseason games left to try and make up what was a 7.5 game gap with the Red Sox, or keep their hold on the American League’s top Wild Card spot.

They have four weeks to line up their rotation and figure out exactly how they want to use the back end of their bullpen.

But Wednesday night, Aaron Boone was still waiting for Greg Bird to “get going.”

The first baseman snapped an 0for-21 streak, but came up empty for the struggling lineup with run- ners in scoring position and was pinch hit for in the bottom of the ninth as the Yankees fell to the White Sox, 4-1.

The Yankees dropped the series to Chicago and fell another game behind the Red Sox in their race for the American League East.

While Boone has shown patience with Bird, this lineup has been stretched so thin with Aaron Judge (broken wrist), Gary Sanchez (groin) and Didi Gregorius (heel) on the disabled list, you have to wonder how much longer he can wait.

Luke Voit, the minor-league slugger the Yankees acquired before the trade deadline, will likely start tonight, Boone indicated, but the Yanks’ skipper isn’t willing to declare it a platoon — yet.

“I would call it a fluid situation. I kind of said performance matters, but matchup matters too,” Boone said. “I am trying to keep both guys relevant and put both guys in position to succeed as best we can. I would say it’s a fluid situation and not necessarily a straight platoon.”

The season is winding down, as are Bird’s opportunities to solidify himself as the Yankees’ everyday first baseman.

“If we are at that point, where someone is being massively productive, then yeah. I guess I’d take that,” Boone said.

The Yankees are scrappling through the dog days of the season and trying to find a hot hand until they can get some help back off the DL. Wednesday, White Sox righthander Reynaldo Lopez cooled their bats, holding them to one run on five hits. He walked two and struck out six in seven innings.

And right now, Voit has shown some more recent potential and Bird has been yet to live up to his.

“He had a couple good atbats, I felt like, last night [Tuesday]. And I think we get (Francisco) Liriano the first day (of the Tigers’ series), a tough lefty matchup. So I kind of envision Voit being back in there,” Boone said. “I just wanted to see if I could at least give him a couple days to try and get going a little bit. Hopefully the matchup works well, just trying to give him a chance to get going and help us.

“Again if we can get him going in the right direction, it’s a positive,” Boone said. “We’ve seen he can not only help us down the stretch, but if we get on into the playoffs.”

As the Yankees make that turn around the final corner of the regular season, they see the Red Sox pulling away again as they try to find some offense.

So you have to wonder how much longer Boone and the Yankees can remain patient with Bird.

The first baseman’s struggles seemed to be encapsulated in Tuesday night’s game. He hit the ball hard, but went 0-for-4 to extend his hitless streak to 21 at-bats over his last four games.

Bird broke the streak with a double Tuesday.

But it’s still become almost comical how bad a streak Bird went through.

On the very first play of Tuesday’s game, Bird could not close his glove on a routine throw to first, starting the night off with an uncharacteristic error. Bird blamed the mistake on a new glove and called it a “stupid play that shouldn’t have happened,” and laughed it off.

Boone shrugged it off as well. He has had many conversations with Bird, who has shown flashes of incredible talent and yet is hitting just .196 with 11 homers and 35 RBI this season. but those talks are always focused on the positive.

“I talk to him all the time, kind of just behind the scenes. the best we can, we’re just trying to get him to build some positive momentum through his work,” Boone said of the struggling 25year old. “Last night’s play, it was just one of those you kind of shake your head. It was fluky and weird as any play you see in a year. It’s just like ‘how did that happen?’ The conversation is on-going and it’s all around trying to put him in the best place to get a rolling, because again, when he is good, it’s impactful.”

You could shake your head at most of Bird’s struggles this season. The talent is there, but heading into the final month of the season, he has yet to show it consistently. While Boone and the Yankees are still preaching patience, you have to wonder if time is running out for Bird this season.