The Red Sox enter the four-game series in the Bronx 7 1/2 games behind the first-place Yankees after losing two out of three to Cleveland. Somehow, the Yankees have managed to adopt the Patriots’ “Next Man Up” mentality, relying on players not named Aaron Judge or Giancarlo Stanton to provide offense, while Luis Severino has yet to throw a pitch this season and James Paxton only made his second start of May in the Yankees’ 7-0 win on Wednesday.
“They’re major league players for a reason,” Andrew Benintendi said after the Red Sox’ 14-9 loss on Wednesday. “It’s not like they’re high schoolers or anything like that. They’re there for a reason and they’re playing good baseball.”
This series has the potential to be the most impactful Boston has played this season. A sweep of the Yankees makes New York’s lead much more manageable, though the inverse, or even a 3-1 loss for the Red Sox, may put the division out of reach — especially once Judge and Stanton return. The final game of the series may only be on June 2, but the idea of trailing the Yankees by 10 1/2 or 11 1/2 games feels like too tall of a task for the Red Sox handle given the nature of their season to this point.
But the Red Sox feel like it’s just another series, because the goal remains the same.
“We need to win,” Benintendi said. “We know where we stand, so I don’t think it matters if it’s the Yankees, the Rays or anybody. That’s how we’re looking at it.”
Alex Cora went so far as to say the four-game set isn’t critical, thus emphasizing the importance of each series throughout the season.
“We get there and try to win the series, you know? We just have to play better, that’s the bottom line,” he said.
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