Working in 3rd straight game, Betances unravels

BOSTON — The Yankees opened a challenging road trip with their most agonizing loss of the season, and the next 10 games on the schedule could represent the greatest test yet toward keeping their postseason dreams alive.

Dellin Betances blew his second consecutive game on Thursday night, serving up Hanley Ramirez’s walk-off three-run homer as the Red Sox stunned the Yankees with a five-run ninth inning in a 7-5 victory at Fenway Park, dealing a serious blow to the Yanks’ hopes of sneaking up on their rivals for the American League East lead.

Instead of sitting three games back in the division, the Yankees now stare at a five-game deficit with 16 to play. The Blue Jays hold the second AL Wild Card spot and hold a three-game lead on the Yanks.

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“It’s frustrating; this one, definitely, we had that game,” Betances said. “You don’t want to do that this late. Obviously, we’re trying to win games. When that happens, you’re not helping in any case. It’s definitely frustrating. I just have to go out there and be better the next time out.”

The defeat was the Yanks’ fourth in five games, following a seven-game winning streak that resuscitated their postseason chances. Despite his club’s Wild Card hopes, manager Joe Girardi was dreaming bigger as the Yankees guarded a 5-2 lead in the ninth inning.

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“This one hurts,” Girardi said. “We’ve got to bounce back. We were in a pretty good position going into the ninth inning and weren’t able to close the deal.”

Girardi had removed Masahiro Tanaka after seven innings of one-run ball, saying that the right-hander was “tired” after throwing 93 pitches.

Adam Warren served up David Ortiz’s 537th career home run in the eighth inning, drawing Boston within three runs and pushing the …

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