It’s time to make Betances the Yankees’ closer

NEW YORK —Joe Girardi can make all the excuses he wants about Aroldis Chapman’s blown save Sunday night, but there’s no denying there’s something critically wrong with the Yankees’ closer. The 3-2 loss to the Red Sox dealt the Yankees a devastating setback in the East, and the blame rests entirely with Chapman.

Just two outs away from what would’ve been the most stirring victory of the season, Chapman was taken deep by rookie Rafael Devers, tying the game at 2 and setting the stage for Boston’s subsequent victory in the 10th. It was a crushing moment inside the Stadium, yet with a straight face Girardi insisted Chapman “threw the ball really well” and was taken down by “just one bad pitch.”

What Girardi failed to add is that one mistake is all it takes to break your heart in a pennant race. Trouble is, Chapman’s missteps have become a common occurrence. In his last two appearances (2⅓ innings) he’s allowed a home run, walked four batters and hit another. In all, Chapman’s swingand-miss ratio has plummeted by 33 percent since 2016, leading to four blown saves this season, one shy of his career worst. The Yankees themselves have blown 20, second to last in the majors. Only the Mariners’ bullpen is less dependable.

The first and most obvious option is to pro moteDellin Betances or even David Robertson until Chapman gets back in sync. Both relievers have experience closing and could handle the responsibility over the next seven games against the Mets and Sox.

Girardi doesn’t plan on making a change however - he’s sticking with Chapman and said so forcefully after the game. The manager is s marteno ugh to know Chapman is a liability right now and that his ninthinni ngfail ures have a corrosive effect on a team’s confidence. But Girardi also wants to avoid lighting Chapman’s short fuse by demoting him to eighth-inning duty. The Cuban left-hander was clearly agitated by questions from reporters after the game, although when pressed, admitted, he’s not happy with his current trend line.

“I have high expectations for myself and my last couple of outings are not what I expected them to be,” Chapman said through an interpreter. “I feel bad about this.”

Hish onesty was admirable, but what was otherwise striking about Chapman’s assessment was how differently he viewed the at-bat against Devers. Unlike Girardi, who noted the fastball Devers hit was letter high, Chapman said, simply, “it was a good pitch.”

Maybe because it was a four-seam fastball clocked at 103-mph. If Ch apmanmeasures himself by velocity alone, he’s still the kin g.But hiscomm and has been erratic and in the case of Jackie Bradley, who was down 0-2 with one out in the 10th innin g,itwasdo wnright terrible. Chapman plunked Bradley on the shoulder then walked Eduardo Nunez, setting the stage for Boston’s game-winning rally.

That was also Chapman’s final at-bat of the night, as he was replaced by Tommy Kahnle. And, consistent with the theory that a closer’s ineffectiveness has a trickle-downeffectonthe other relievers, Kahnle walked Mookie Betts to load the bases before surrendering an RBI single to Andrew Benintendi that gave Boston a 3-2 lead.

It was a disturbing chain of events for the Yankees, whoarenow51/2games behind Boston. Undone, in one pitch, was the nearmiracleofalmostwinninga game started by Chris Sale, who was his typical unhittable self. The Sox’ ace struck out 12 and otherwise toyed with the Bombers; lineup for most of the night, only to have been matched by Jordan Montgomery for 5.1 innings, followed by a clean 1.2 innings by Robertson.

Betances arrived in the eighth, acting as the bridge to Chapman. The calculus couldn’t have been any more perfect. That would explain why Girardi looked like he’d taken a punch to the face afterwards.

“It’s a frustrating loss, no question about it,” he sai d.Luckyf or the Yankees they’ll get what’s lef tofthe Mets this week, a chance to exploit a decimated roster as a tune-up to next weekend return showdown at Fenway.

The upcoming Subway Series bears no resemblance to what used to be a legit battle for street cred. The Mets have only two assets who can keep them from getting swept - Michael Conforto and Jacob deGrom. They’re otherwise out-gunned in every other aspect and would have to consider a split a moral victory. For the Yankees, anything less than taking 3-of-4 would be another setback for a club that can hardly afford to keep going backwards.

Catching Boston seems less and less of a likelihood although it would be a mistake to think the Bombers even have a guaranteed wild-card spot. They’re sitting on a thin 11/2-game lead over the Angels, with five other teams no more than 21/2 games behind. Even a moderate losing streak could derail the Bombers.

That’s why the Yankees have to either have to fix the flaw in Chapman’s mechanics or be bold enough to use Betances in his place. And we haven’t even mentioned Aaron Judge’s ongoing slide; he struck out three more times on Sunday, giving him 46K’sin97at-batssince the All-Star break. He’s now whiffed in 30 consecutive games, two shy of the record for a position player set by Adam Dunn in 2012.

But don’t hold your breath expecting Girardi to bench Judge, either. The manager says, “I still think Aaron is going to fight his way out of it.” Bold words, just like the ones we’re hearing abou t Chapman.

Bold words camouflaging Girardi’s only other remedy right now: tightly crossed fingers.