BOSTON — Instant reactions from the Red Sox’ 5-3 loss to the Yankees on Saturday at Fenway Park:

1) The Red Sox dropped to 81-68, while the Yankees improved to 83-65. New York clinched the three-game series by beating Boston in the first two games. The Sox are 5-6 in September and 3-6 since star rookie Roman Anthony went on the IL. They are 6-8 in their past 14 games. Texas won and so Boston’s lead for the third and final Wild Card spot is down to two games.

2) Starter Brayan Bello entered Saturday with a 1.95 ERA in 10 career starts vs. New York. But he immediately fell behind 2-0, allowing two runs, two hits and two walks in the first inning. He limited the damage, though, striking out José Caballero and Austin Wells, both looking, with the bases loaded to end the inning. Bello allowed four runs on five hits and three walks while striking out four in 5 innings.

3) A baserunning error cost the Red Sox in the second inning. Nate Eaton led off with a walk, but he got caught trying to advance from first to third base on Nick Sogard’s bloop single to left field. Jasson Domínguez easily threw him out at third base for the first out. Connor Wong followed Sogard’s single with a double and so the miscue cost Boston a run.

4) Closer Aroldis Chapman hadn’t allowed a run or hit in 17 straight appearances before Wednesday when he allowed a run and two hits in a walkoff loss to the Athletics. He struggled again Saturday, giving up a single to Aaron Judge and RBI double to Cody Bellinger as the Yankees added an insurance run to go ahead 5-3.

5) Ceddanne Rafaela swung and missed at three pitches outside the strike zone with two runners in scoring position and one out in the second. He also struck out on a ball in the dirt with two runners on base and one out in the sixth inning. Rafaela entered Saturday batting .186 with a .241 on-base percentage, .277 slugging percentage and .518 OPS in 50 games (191 plate appearances) during the second half.

6) Alex Bregman put the Red Sox on the scoreboard in the fifth inning, hitting a 316-foot solo homer off Pesky’s Pole. It was Bregman’s first home run since Aug. 12 in Houston, cutting Boston’s deficit to 4-1.

7) Jarren Duran hit his first career pinch-hit homer, a 386-foot line drive home run to right field, cutting Boston’s deficit to 4-3 in the eighth inning.

8) Romy Gonzalez’s single in the first inning extended his hitting streak to 13 games, the longest by a Red Sox player this season.

9) Yankees starter Max Fried pitched 5 ⅓ innings, allowing two runs, nine hits and two walks while striking out six. He left the game with one out and two runners on base in the sixth after Connor Wong’s RBI single cut Boston’s deficit to 4-2. Luke Weaver replaced him and struck out both Rafaela and Gonzalez to strand the runners.

10) The Red Sox and Yankees will wrap up their three-game series at 7:10 p.m. on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. Righty Will Warren (8-6, 4.22 ERA) will start for New York opposite Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet (15-5, 2.57 ERA).

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.