Coming into the game, the Yankees ranked 25th in the majors with a .131 ISO, a tremendous drop from the .170 mark that ranked fifth in baseball just last season with essentially the same lineup. To put that in perspective, this month they hit for less power than the 2015 Phillies, who finished one away from losing 100 games.

They actually rank in the middle of the pack in terms of getting on base and making contact. The surprising power outage suffered by many of their key hitters has been perhaps the biggest factor in the team’s offensive struggles. Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Brett Gardner, and Jacoby Ellsbury entered the weekend with slugging percentages well below .400. They are also playing a corner infielder every day who is dangerously close to not getting an extra base hit in the first month of the season in Chase Headley.

At least A-Rod looks like he may be coming around. He’s now homered in back to back games with his solo shot in the second, career homer 691. Gardner singled in the other Yankee run in the fifth.

Masahiro Tanaka cruised through six scoreless innings before allowing a two out, two run double to Jackie Bradley in the seventh to tie the game. Dellin Betances came in to relieve him and ended up surrendering a heartbreaking two-run game winner over the Green Monster.

The Play: David Ortiz’s Game Winner Over the Monster (-.328 WPA)

I can’t begin to express how happy I am that this is David Ortiz’s final season. This was a clutch home run against possibly the most dominant reliever in baseball. You just have to tip your hat.

Top Performers

– Red Sox: David Ortiz (2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI)

– Yankees: Masahiro Tanaka (6 2/3 IP, 5 K, 0 BB)

Notes

– Aroldis Chapman posted on his Instagram that he has officially become a citizen of the United States, writing: “Today is a very important day for me and I want to share it with all of you. Today April 29, 2016 I’ve became a U.S. Citizen and I want to thanks God and this great nation for the opportunities it has offer me and my family. Very happy to say that I’m a U.S. Citizen.” Chapman’s 30 game suspension will be up in less than two weeks on May 9th.

– Aaron Hicks remained on the bench sixth straight game since jamming his shoulder on a diving catch April 22nd against Tampa Bay. He pinch ran for A-Rod late in the game Wednesday, but has yet to bat or play the field. Sitting Hicks against the left-handed Owens could indicate that Hicks is not yet 100% healthy. Alternatively, Girardi could have been worried about rust from the long layoff or Hicks’s slow start to the season on offense.

The Highlight

Al quickly quieted the torrent boos of the Boston crowd in the top of the second with his 28th career dinger at Fenway Park. He then makes a point of giving the bat he used to a young fan. Love that guy.

Up Next

Michael Pineda will square off against Rick Porcello in the second game of this three game series at 7:10 pm ET Saturday evening. Porcello is undefeated through his first four starts this year, while Pineda has struggled to find his groove. Big Mike struck out 9 but allowed 7 runs on 10 hits in his last start against the Rays.

Lead photo: Bob DeChiara / USA Today Sports

Tanaka lasted 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits and striking out four, but he was once again out-dueled by Astros lefthander Dallas Keuchel, who ended New York’s 2015 season last October in the wild card game. Keuchel’s seven frames of two-run ball carried Houston to a 5-3 victory.

Much like that game, the air in the Bronx was as frozen as the Yankees offense. Starlin Castro looked good, doubling home two runs in his first Yankees at-bat and adding some solid play at second base, but the offense as a whole managed just four hits.

• PREGAME NOTES: Bryan Mitchell out at least four months

Aside from Tanaka and Castro, Chasen Shreve also looked to be repaired after his wobbly walk to the finish line last year. He threw 1 1/3 near-perfect innings with two strikeouts. Those few bright spots were overshadowed by an eighth-inning controversy that turned the game.

The Play: Betances’s error in the eighth (-.207 WPA)

With one out and a runner on in the top of the eighth, Dellin Betances threw a slow Carlos Correa roller over Mark Teixeira’s head into right field, allowing Houston to take the lead for good.

What followed was a lengthy on-field appeal from manager Joe Girardi, who argued that Correa was in the baseline at the time of the play. Correa clearly ran inside the first base line, as most players are taught to do. This cut off Betances from Teixeira, and he was forced to try a touch throw over Correa, which ended miserably.

​

Not many pitchers in the big leagues have the wherewithal to know they should intentionally peg a player in the back, but that’s exactly what Betances should have done in this situation. Girardi said so, Mark Teixeira said so and heck, even crew chief Dana DeMuth said so:

Betances said he will be trying to hit the runner in the back in future scenarios, not out of malice but out of necessity.

“Next time, that’s what I’ll try to do,” he said. “If that’s what’s going to have to happen, to make them call him out, then that’s what I have to do.”

The Yankees played the rest of the game under protest, and crumbled after the play. Correa stole second, Betances walked Rasmus, and Luis Valbuena singled both runners in to break the game open.

Top Performers

Yankees: Starlin Castro (1/3, 2B, 2 RBI, 4 Assists)

Astros: Dallas Keuchel (7 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 4 BB, 4 K)

The Quote(s)

• “I’ve never read a rule book. I don’t know anything about rules.” - Alex Rodriguez
• “Do it. Throw it into the runner’s back. Because then what’s happening? He is impeding.” – Crew chief Dana DeMuth

Notes

– The Yankees have now lost five straight on Opening Day.

– Houston was 3-for-3 in stolen base attempts against Brian McCann.

– Johnny Barbato made his major league debut and he looked good, tossing 1 1/3 immaculate innings with three strikeouts. He hit 95-96 with his fastball, and missed bats with his slider.

– Didi Gregorius hit the Yankees’ first home run of the season.

– Dellin Betances’s new intro song is “All the Way Up (ft. French Montana)” by Fat Joe and Remy Ma. Aaron Hicks has chosen Jay Z’s “Public Service Announcement” as his at-bat music.

– Correa took Tanaka deep on a well-thrown 86 mph splitter in the seventh.  All game, Tanaka hid his fastball from the phenom:

At-bat 1

Called strike – Sinker at 90

Ball – Split at 86

Swinging strike – Slider at 83

Foul – Sinker at 91

Strike three swinging – Split at 84

At-bat 2

Ball – Sinker at 90

RBI groundout – Split at 84

At-bat 3

Swinging strike – Sinker at 90

Home Run – Split at 86

The Highlight: Alex Rodriguez steals second

​

Next Up

The Yankees will host Houston on Wednesday night at 7:05 p.m. ET. Michael Pineda goes against righty Collin McHugh. That should mean Brett Gardner makes his debut in the starting lineup.

Lead photo: Anthony Gruppuso / USA Today Sports

At times, home plate umpire Eric Cooper’s strike zone was forgiving to Dallas Keuchel. Other times, the Astros’ defense was menacing; in the fourth, George Springer ranged to his left to rob Alex Rodriguez of a double, and in the sixth, Carlos Correa’s diving play prevented the Yankees from collecting back-to-back hits.

With that in mind, the Yankees walked into nothing short of a predictable vanquish.

Their offense, though encouraging at times, was the same as it’s been for the past few months. They struggled against a left-hander once again, and they failed to string together hits when they needed them most.

“We’re either going to put runs up on the board or we’re not,” said general manager Brian Cashman. “We’re going to swing the bats better than we have recently or we’re not. Tonight was more reflective of what our team has looked like especially in September, from mid-August on.”

And yet, as has been the case all season, the Yankees had a chance. They weren’t expected to have a chance, but they had a chance. And, as Joe Girardi said just a few short weeks ago, “You want a chance.”

Keuchel and Alex Rodriguez dueled with two on, and two out, in the bottom of the sixth. The previous time these two met, Rodriguez was served a two-seam fastball, tailing away. So, he eyed a fastball up and in, and he got one. He swung.

It cut inside.

“I was playing blackjack there, and it paid off,” Keuchel said.

The Yankees didn’t look like a playoff team for the better part of two months, yet found themselves with a shot at the ALDS.

Did the Yankees end up on the wrong end of blackjack?

It’s hard to say whether or not that was the case. The Yankees’ bullpen ERA, once near the top tier of the league, slipped to 17th in all of baseball. The outfield, once a strength of the club, slipped in production when Ellsbury and Gardner dropped off considerably in the second half.

They tried to prevent a decline, but it wasn’t happening. They kicked tires around the league, and there were limited possibilities.

“I didn’t have any place to put anybody,” Cashman said. “We tried making certain deals but I had Beltran in right, Ells in center, Gardy in left. The only second baseman we explored on was Zobrist and he got traded to Kansas City. It was going to cost me Warren and Refsnyder combination. I was like, I’m not going to do that for a three month rental.

“We tried to improve the bullpen, made some significant offers to guys out there that were turned down. So no, I don’t have any regrets. There was nothing that presented itself after the fact that I said, ‘I could have done it.’”

Cashman was stuck between trying to capitalize on great years from Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, and Carlos Beltran, and thinking about the team’s future, and keeping them strong for years to come. Perhaps, the Yankees could have gone all-out for a win. Not without serious future consequences.

Cashman rattled off almost every name imaginable during his postgame meeting with the media—everyone from Rob Refsnyder, to Mason Williams, to Gary Sanchez. From the sound of it, he’d like to have his whole team back next season.

So, the question becomes: would a healthy club have been enough to win a World Series?

In short—no. For one, the Toronto Blue Jays are just too good. Beyond that, the Yankees simply had too many question marks during the second half of the year, the biggest ones coming at the top of the batting order with Gardner and Ellsbury.

They, like much of the team, crashed and burned.

“I think as a team maybe we hit a little bit of a wall, collectively,” said Rodriguez. “That’s rare, because usually you have some guys get hot, some guys get cold. It seems like all of us hit the wall at the same time.”

The Yankees will not enjoy a different outcome next season if they decide to bring everyone back, hope for the same performances from some of their key veterans, and stash their youth in AAA for another year. They need to add a right-handed power bat, another bullpen arm, and potentially scour the trade market for a young starter similar to Nathan Eovaldi.

Without a change, the Yankees are destined for the same fate as Tuesday. It doesn’t sound like many changes are coming, either.

(Photo: Adam Hunger-USA Today Sports)

The g**damn frustrating joy of baseball lies in its predictability.

In 2015, when opposing batters swung at the first pitch off Masahiro Tanaka, they slugged .508 with four home runs.

In September/October, the Yankees offense ranked last or second-to-last in the AL in batting average, on-base percentage, and OPS.

In two regular season starts, Dallas Keuchel dominated the Yankees. In 16 innings, he held New York batters to .161/.175/.179, while striking out 21 and walking just one.

Of course, each trend represents a small sample size, largely irrelevant in a one-game, winner-or-go-home scenario.

On Tuesday night in the Bronx, though, all three trends would continue in the AL Wild Card game between the Houston Astros and New York Yankees. The Astros would jump all over a couple first pitch mistakes against Tanaka, and the Yankees hitters could not advance past second base against Keuchel and three Houston relievers. A 3-0 Astros victory never really felt in doubt.

Tanaka had struggled in his only previous start against the Astros in 2015. On June 27 at Houston, he needed 98 pitches to get through five innings, allowing six earned runs and nine base runners. On this night, his final line (5 IP, 4 H, 3 K, 2 BB, 2 ER) was adequate, and good enough certainly to keep the Yankees in the game.

Tanaka started off strong, striking out Jose Altuve and George Springer to open the game. On 3-and-2 against Altuve, Tanaka came with an 88 MPH cutter on the outside corner for a swinging strike three. Prior to this at-bat, Altuve had never struck out against a cutter from a right-handed pitcher.

Colby Rasmus got the scoring started on the first pitch of the second inning, launching an inside fastball into the right field bleachers. This season, Rasmus hit 18 of his 25 home runs against right-handers (along with a .476 slugging percentage and .243 ISO). He also hit three home runs and slugged .957 on the first pitch. And when right-handers came over the inner half of the plate, Rasmus did considerable damage:

Throw in Tanaka’s 2015 first pitch struggles mentioned above, and it is easy to understand why A.J. Hinch penciled Rasmus into the cleanup spot.

Carlos Gomez’s homer on the first pitch of the fourth inning stretched the Astros lead to 2-0. Gomez’s struggles once he arrived in Houston were well documented (.242/.288/.383, .241 TAv), but despite his second half difficulties, right-handed pitchers did not fare well at the top of the strike zone in 2015:

The Astros would add another run in the seventh inning, when Altuve got the bat head on a Dellin Betances curve that was halfway to the Yankees dugout, and dumped it into left field for an RBI single.

Offensively, October 6 looked eerily similar to October 4 and the preceding month. The Yankees had just five base runners (three hits and two walks), and not one advanced past second base. Four Astros pitchers retired the final 10 hitters. For the first time since mid-August, the Yankees failed to produce an extra base hit at hone.

Much of the talk before the game was focused on Jacoby Ellsbury starting his night on the bench. However, Ellsbury’s 2015 production against left-handed pitchers (.253/.327/.325), along with a brutal September (.202/.254/.246 in 123 plate appearances), made him a seemingly easy sit against Keuchel.

Brett Gardner, who also struggled in the season’s final month (.198/.271/.321), was actually above average against left-handers (.276/.361/.400). Gardner struck out three times against Keuchel, and looked uncomfortable at the plate. His eighth inning groundout brought with it a cascade of boos from the home crowd.

The Yankees, however, appeared to have a few decent changes in the game’s opening innings.

As John Kruk noted in the first inning, Keuchel was missing high early. In 2015, Keuchel threw more innings (232.0) and pitches (3,492) than any pitcher in the AL. He was a workhorse in September, tossing 39.1 innings and 654 pitches in six starts. Just to add to his degree of difficulty, Keuchel was making his first career start on three days rest. 

All of this wear showed early, as he needed 39 pitches to get through the first two innings. The Yankees, however, could not capitalize on multiple pitches left over the plate, managing just a Chris Young walk in the first and Chris Young single in the second. For a team that finished second in the AL in fly ball percentage (37.9 percent) and fifth in home run to fly ball ratio (12.5 percent), the Yankees could muster just three fly balls against Keuchel over six innings. 

Keuchel would settle in, requiring just 33 pitches to get through innings two, three, and four. He needed 87 pitches, allowing three hits and one walk, while striking out seven. 

The Yankees mounted their best threat against Keuchel with two outs in the sixth inning. Leading off, Didi Gregarious bounced a base hit into right field. After a Gardner strikeout and Young fielder’s choice, Carlos Beltran lined a pitch left over the plate into centerfield for a base hit. With two outs and runners on first and second, Alex Rodriguez stepped to the plate as the go-ahead run. This season, Rodriguez slugged .559 with four home runs on the first pitch. Against Keuchel, he made good contact, but it resulted in a fly out to center field.

The Bronx again stirred with some optimism when Keuchel left the game after six shutout innings. Astros left-hander Tony Sipp labored with deep counts, needing 23 pitches, but the Yankees offense again failed to advance a runner past second. A one-out Chase Headley walk went by the wayside, as Greg Bird struck out looking on a full count and Rob Refsnyder flied out to right field.

Will Harris set the Yankees down in order in the eighth, including an Ellsbury plate appearance that resulted in a ground out. Within 10 minutes of the game’s completion, MLB Network analysts were criticizing Joe Girardi’s decision to bench Ellsbury.

Luke Gregerson retired the side in the order in the home half of the ninth, including back-to-back strikeouts of Beltran and Rodriguez. A Brian McCann groundout to Carlos Correa would send the Yankees into the offseason.

The team now turns toward 2016 with plenty of questions, offensively (can Rodriguez, McCann, and Mark Teixeira produce at similar levels and stay healthy?), for the rotation (who are the fourth and fifth starters?), and figuring out why Billy Crystal looked so befuddled.

The Astros, whose 14.9 percent playoff odds on Opening Day was fourth highest in the AL West, will advance to face the Kansas City Royals in the American League Division Series. Like we said, baseball is so darn predictable.

(Photo: Adam Hunger-USA Today Sports)

On the one hand, here were the Yankees, who the masses counted out back in April, cracking beer cans and submerging their teammates in alcohol. Here was Alex Rodriguez, who wasn’t even expected to play in the Major Leagues again, holding a bottle of Ace of Spades so large, each ounce accounted for each of the 86 runs he batted in this season. Here was a close-knit group of veterans that was assembled over the past 400 or so days by general manager Brian Cashman that had produced at a level that even he couldn’t have expected.

At the same time, there were also many faces in the clubhouse that, while incredibly instrumental in the team’s late season push, weren’t a part of its larger success.

Mark Teixeira, an All-Star, was lost for the season, as was Nate Eovaldi. The Chasen Shreve and Brian Mitchell sporting celebratory gear and spraying champagne around the clubhouse were hardly the same Chasen Shreve and Brian Mitchell from July. The Yankees’ bullpen, once rock solid, was now a swaying bridge to closer Andrew Miller.

Against Boston, the team was caught somewhere in the swirling winds that encapsulated the Bronx.

They managed to post six runs in 11 combined innings against left-handed starters on Wednesday and Thursday, something they had struggled so mightily to do. Lefty-killer Chris Young returned, going 3-for-6, and so did general killer Alex Rodrguez, who snapped a 13-game homerless streak on Wednesday with his 33rd of the year. As they had at times during the year, the Yankees did not have an issue scoring runs.

Their pitching was another story.

Masahiro Tanaka, who hadn’t pitched in 12 days, went a shaky five innings, yielding four runs on five hits. Michael Pineda crashed and burned, throwing seven innings and allowing seven earned runs. Ivan Nova, yet again, struggled to find command late in his outing, allowing two big home runs.

Still, Tanaka will pitch Tuesday’s Wild Card game, as he should.

“[He]’s a big game pitcher,” said Brendan Ryan. “I think that’s why they brought him in. He’s dying for that type of start and that kind of pressure, and I think he has the ability to thrive under that. Just from his makeup and who he is and what he’s about, and the intensity shows out there. We’ve seen it from time to time. I love it, and I’m looking forward to that.”

Tanaka’s DRA WARP is right there in MLB’s Top 20 with Felix Hernandez at 3.07 this season, and that’s with the 16th most Adj. runs added by various factors, including strength of opponent and ballparks. Out of all pitchers to throw 100 innings, Tanaka’s Line Drive percentage is 12th-lowest in the league at 22.6%. He’s strong mentally, and all season long he’s given hitters a tough time.

The Yankees’ bullpen, though present for most of the season like Tanaka, has fallen a bit in recent weeks.

The Yankees, essentially, had six solid options about a month or so ago – Miller, Betances, Wilson, Shreve, Warren, and Mitchell. With injuries to Eovaldi and Mitchell, coupled with the strange rut that Shreve has fallen into, about half of the Yankees’ bullpen is now gone.

But, like with the rest of the Yankees’ problems, there lies a sense of optimism.

Adam Warren, scheduled to start for the Yankees during the week, came out of the bullpen to relieve an effective C.C. Sabathia and seal the Yankees’ clinching victory. In 23 high-leverage appearances, Warren’s opponents have hit just .224 against him. He will likely be the key to a playoff run.

“When you have a guy like Adam Warren, I don’t care if we have Adam pitching Game 1, 3, or 7 in the playoffs,” Rodriguez said in September. “I think we’re gonna win that game, that’s how good he is.”

It’s important to have Warren, and Tanaka, who you can trust to pitch the majority of innings in a Wild Card game, given its unpredictable nature.

“It’s a one-game playoff,” Joe Girardi said. “There are so many funny things that happen.

“It’s really going to come down to who has the best day.”

Just maybe, with Adam Warren sliding back into the bullpen, the Yankees can survive more than a game.

(Photo: Anthony Gruppuso-USA Today Sports)

Remove all context from Yankees-Mets on Sunday night and you would have thought you were witnessing playoff baseball at Citi Field.

This felt different. This was the culmination of a season-long journey the Mets and their supporters have navigated through for months on end.

Under the lights. A nation of baseball fans watching. Their ace on the mound. Now, tied 1-1 in a weekend series with the Yankees, a chance to momentarily take back ownership of their city.

The Yankees confronted the challenge.

With a chance to pull within 2.5 games of the Blue Jays in the AL East, CC Sabathia and the New York bats dug themselves out of an early hole and showed a raucous crowd to the exits.

Sabathia shined, yielding just one run on five hits over six innings after a 32-pitch first. He struck out seven hitters.

“Everything just got better,” said manager Joe Girardi. “He really settled down and threw the ball extremely well. It was down in the zone. He used his changeup really effectively.”

He’s sporting a 1.04 ERA and .190 BAA in his last three outings.

Sabathia threw 14 changeups and 17 sliders in the game. After an RBI double from David Wright in the first inning, just one of five balls put in play on either one of the pitches went for a hit.

He had five whiffs on eight swings with his change.

“It was huge for me,” Sabathia said. “That change that [Wright] hit was up. I was just being conscious and making sure that I got my offspeed pitches where they needed to go.”

Maybe more encouraging was the performance of Jacoby Ellsbury, who was so instrumental in the team’s hot start. He’s seven for his last 16 after snapping out of an o-for-22 skid.

Ellsbury went 3-for-5 with an RBI and stole just his second base since Aug. 24. He and Brett Gardner combined to score four runs.

“That’s a one-two punch that anyone would love to have,” said Dustin Ackley, who hit a three-run home run in his second straight start at the keystone for New York. “When you have those guys getting hits and getting on base, it makes it tough on other teams. They’ve got to think … it can be a long day.”

On this crisp, windy night in Queens, in an unfriendly environment, the Yankees were able to settle themselves after an uneasy first inning. Hitters worked counts, beat out throws, and hit the ball hard.

The resilience and cohesiveness of this unit is often played down. A surge of neophytes have dropped the team’s average age to 28, which is around the median average age for big league clubs. Before the season, it was over 29 and inching towards the top 10.

They’re energizing the veteran players on the roster, and the veterans are giving back.

“Tonight, [Sabathia] was able go out there and fight,” said Carlos Beltran. “That’s a great message to the younger guys. You can look up to a guy like that and understand that right now, this time of the year, you’re going to feel sore. But this is this time of the year when you can’t focus on that. You’ve got to focus on performing.”

Greg Bird has 20 HRs in 115 total games this season. Ackley has hit himself into the lineup. CC Sabathia is finally healthy, confident, and effective.

This is the look of a playoff ballclub.

(Photo: Anthony Gruppuso- USA Today Sports)

Once again New York missed out on a chance to gain ground in the AL East as the Blue Jays lost 3-2 in Atlanta. The Yankees remain three games back of Toronto with time running out as the magic number to clinch the division is now 16.

The Yankees knew they’d need a lift from their bullpen to win Tuesday as right-hander Adam Warren was on a pitch count as he transitions back into the starting rotation. He completed four innings allowing six hits and two earned runs while striking out four. He threw 65 pitches, 41 for strikes.

Nick Rumbelow came on in the fifth inning with Rays on the corners and one out, in relief of James Pazos. He was able to escape the jam and preserve the Yankees slim one-run lead for the time being with back-to-back strikeouts of Steven Souza and Evan Longoria. Rumbelow retired Longoria swinging on a changeup to end the inning, but wouldn’t fare as well when he was sent back out for the sixth inning. He allowed three hits to the next four batters, including an absolute moonshot off the bat of Nick Franklin, which was his first home run of the season and put the Rays ahead for good.

While Joe Girardi obviously can’t just bring Dellin Betances in to every close game–though he had Betances warming up late in Monday’s game, which would’ve been the first time all season he’s appeared in three consecutive games had he entered–it is perhaps a little curious that Rumbelow was given such a high leverage spot Tuesday. Another option might’ve been Justin Wilson, but he had pitched on two of the past three days. Chasen Shreve probably would’ve been the choice about a month ago, when his ERA was 2.01 after his August 11th outing, which was his last clean outing before Tuesday. In his previous 13 games, Shreve had a 4.22 ERA in 10 2/3 innings while allowing 14 hits, 12 walks, and batters were hitting .318/.464/.523 against him. Shreve’s performance of late and Rumbelow’s poise under pressure in the fifth inning were enough in Girardi’s mind to keep from making a change and ultimately that decision cost the Yankees the lead and the game.

The Yankees, of course, didn’t add to their bullpen at the trade deadline and with Warren going into the rotation have one fewer option to go to now. Girardi can’t be blamed for that, but it certainly doesn’t look good on his part when the bullpen coughs up a lead in a tight game considering Betances has been used multiple times to protect three and four run leads this month. Girardi has generally been praised for his bullpen usage during his tenure with the Yankees, but he hasn’t done much to garner that praise this year. Too often the Yankees have seen games decided with the likes of Rumbelow, Brandon Pinder, and Bryan Mitchell on the mound despite Girardi’s public edict that he’s sticking with the guys who got the Yankees to this position.

Every game is crucial to the Yankees at this point in the season as they chase the Blue Jays in their quest for the division and they need all the help they can get, including from the manager. New York will be back at Tropicana Field for the series finale against the Rays at 7:05 Wednesday as a pair of young right-handers square off as rookie Luis Severino (3-3, 3.35) is set to face Chris Archer (12-11, 2.95 ERA).

(Photo: Kim Klement-USA Today Sports)

Bottom Play (LPA): Into the ninth New York’s lead went. However, such lead was jeopardized by a leadoff single and a walk with one out. Brock Holt stood on second, Jackie Bradley Jr. on first, but Andrew Miller locked down and enforced a fly out from Pablo Sandoval. The Yankee Stadium crowd rose to their feet, and Miller punched out Rusney Castillo to end the game, decreasing Boston’s chances of winning by 13.3%.

Key Moment: David Ortiz stepped to the plate with the bases loaded, game tied at one, and two outs in the top of the fifth. C.C. Sabathia was nearing the end of his line, but worked up the energy to fire a 94-mph fastball past the bat of Big Papi to end the inning. The highlight of this play was C.C.’s celebration, which included a shimmy and a couple of pumps.

Coming Next: The Toronto Blue Jays come to town for perhaps the biggest series of the year (up to this point). Toronto’s red hot offense was improved at the trade deadline by Troy Tulowitzki — not to mention the firepower of new acquisition David Price, who’s scheduled to start on Saturday.

Friday: R.A. Dickey (6-10, 4.06 ERA) vs. Nate Eovaldi (11-2, 4.30 ERA) — 7:05 ET

Saturday: David Price (10-4, 2.45 ERA) vs. Ivan Nova (4-3, 3.10 ERA) — 1:05 ET

Sunday: Marco Estrada (9-6, 3.40 ERA) vs. Masahiro Tanaka (8-4, 3.84 ERA) — 1:05 ET

For two of the top hitting teams in baseball, Saturday and Sunday’s pitching matchups seem impressive. Currently, the Yankees look to be among baseball’s elite. We’ll see if they stand atop after this weekend.

(Photo: Anthony Gruppuso-USA Today Sports)

Key Moment: Sabathia got into some trouble in the top of the fifth inning. After allowing back-to-back singles to leadoff the inning, the Mariners had catcher Mike Zunino sacrifice bunt. Then Austin Jackson singled to plate the Mariners only run, giving Seattle a 1-0 lead and runners still at the corners with only one out. With the heart of the Mariners lineup due up, it was time for Sabathia to dig deep and he did exactly that striking out Kyle Seager and Robinson Cano to strand the runners. The Mariners would go on to tally just two hits over the rest of the game.

Up Next: The Yankees have a home off day Monday before the Baltimore Orioles come to town Tuesday. It’ll be Wei-Yin Chen (4-5, 2.78 ERA) against Nathan Eovaldi (9-2, 4.50 ERA) as the probable starters in the Bronx for game one of the series.

(Photo: ANthony Gruppuso-USA Today Sports)

Bottom Play (WPA): The Yankees haven’t gone away all year, and refused to again in this one. Down two runs, Mark Teixeira led off the ninth by shooting a double to center. Mariners reliever Carson Smith proceeded by fanning McCann and Chase Headley, but the second of the two K’s escaped catcher Mike Zunino, allowing Headley to reach first. Garrett Jones grounded out, driving in a run, but resulting in the second out. It all came down to Didi Gregorius, who battled Smith well, like the previous batters all had. However, Gregorius grounded out to second, ending the game and decreasing the Yankees’ chances of winning by 13.2 percent.

Key Moment: Seattle’s production today can be summed up in two words: Robinson Cano. The former Yankee delivered a pair of two-run blasts, including the game-winning homer in the eighth, which stands as today’s key moment. While the Yankees recovered from a similar feat by Kyle Seager yesterday, they couldn’t climb all the way back for the victory.

Coming Next: The series concludes Sunday at 1:05 with what would have been a dream matchup about three years ago. Former ace C.C. Sabathia (4-8, 5.47 ERA) will grab the rubber to face current ace, Felix Hernandez, who has impressed (even for Felix standards) at Yankee Stadium throughout his career. His 5-1 record and 1.37 ERA in the Bronx will be difficult to turn around, unlike Sabathia this year. Although it sounds cliché, each game in this series has been fun to watch. Expect this one to be no different.

(Photo: Adam Hunger-USA Today Sports)