Blueprint exists to beat Red Sox in postseason

JOB 1 was to make sure the Red Sox did not celebrate an AL East title in The Bronx, and the Yankees are two-thirds to keeping the bubbly corked.

But that merely is champagne delayed. Boston is going to clinch the division any day now, douse one another, exalt in a dominant run to a third straight AL East crown.

That is why Job 2 is most vital for the Yankees. In consecutive victories, 3-2 Tuesday and 10-1 Wednesday, a blueprint has been revealed on how they could upset the Red Sox in the playoffs — which for the Yanks would be baseball’s equivalent of losing the battle and winning the war.

Hurdles remain before Oct. 5, Fenway Park, Division Series Game 1. The Yanks have to win a wild-card game, probably against the A’s, though the Rays lurk like a horror-movie villain who will not die. But if they can do that, then they have demonstrated over these past two days that they have three key elements to face the Red Sox: 1. A starter who matches up well against Boston; 2. The superior bullpen; 3. An ability to cover up shortcomings with the long ball?

I suspect Masahiro Tanaka would start the Oct. 3 wild-card game. He has a 2.15 second-half ERA and was the Yankees’ best starter last October. It might be a coin toss with J.A. Happ, but if it is why not go with Tanaka so Happ could be — with a Yankee wild-card win — lined up for Games 1 and 5 against Boston?

“What is best for the next series factors into [decisions] too,” Aaron Boone said.

Let’s assume the Yankees and Red Sox do face each other. Here is what the Yanks can take out of this series so far to prove the regular season is not an accurate gauge of just how close the AL East’s top two teams are:

1. Happ and Luis Severino combined to hold Boston to one earned run in 13 innings. If Severino can be reclaimed the Yanks would have three peaking starters for October.

But Happ is key for the Red Sox. He allowed one unearned run Tuesday in six innings, his 11th straight start against the Red Sox of two earned runs or fewer. Happ has a 1.67 ERA in his last six starts at Fenway, the locale for Division Series Games 1, 2 and 5.

Chris Sale, who has slowly been rebuilding his pitch count since returning from an inflamed left shoulder, likely gets Games 1 and 5, too. The Yankee degree of difficulty soars if Sale is Sale. He’s held the Yanks to one run in 13 innings this year, walking one and whiffing 19.

To beat him the Yankees would need the Pedro Martinez strategy. Boston was just 12-20 (postseason included) in Martinez starts versus the Yankees from 1998-2004, a period when he was frequently the majors’ best starter. Often Martinez was brilliant in those Red Sox defeats. But the Yanks would get him out of games, create a battle of a bullpens and annually the Yankee pen was almost always better.

2. And it is better again. The Red Sox are having an historic year. But if you think they are more the 2001 116-win Mariners (ALCS losers to the Yankees) than the 1998 114-win Yanks (who won it all) it is because even this late into a special season they do not have a defined, trustworthy bridge from starters to closer Craig Kimbrel.

Boston’s 12 secondhalf blown saves are tied with Miami for the majors’ most. No. 12 came Tuesday when Brandon Workman walked two in the seventh inning while trying to protect a 1-0 lead. Ryan Brasier then permitted a three-run homer to Neil Walker. On Wednesday, Boston’s pen allowed four more runs in 2 2/3 innings. This pen has a 4.85 ERA over the past 23 games. Maybe Nathan Eovaldi (no runs, 14 innings in two Red Sox starts versus the Yanks) could help in relief.

The Yankee pen has held Boston to one unearned run in five innings and — with Aroldis Chapman now back — goes six deep in relievers Boone trusts. Power arms and power bats are a portal to postseason success.

3. And the Yankees have power bats while the Red Sox have suddenly gone quiet (their 11 homers the fewest in September). Meanwhile, with Luke Voit (twice) and Miguel Andujar (once) hitting Yankee Stadium short-porch homers Wednesday, the Yanks set a team homer record with 245.

Complaints linger that the Yanks are too homer reliant and, sure, it would be better if they struck out less, hit for a better average, etc.

But in the wild-card era (since 1995), when a team out-homers another in a playoff game it has won 75.2 percent of the time (401-132) and it is 83.3 percent for the Yankees (55-11).

The Yanks have outhomered Boston 4-0 so far in this series, had the better bullpen and had their Red Sox killer Happ excel. It has prevented champagne from being poured so far this week in The Bronx. Could that formula lead to a larger celebration for the Yankees in October?