Will Warren struggles against Red Sox in Yankees’ loss

BOSTON — Will Warren received no guarantees when he opened the season in the Yankees†rotation, just a mandate to keep the team in games. As the rookie right-hander looks up here in September, it is meaningful that he stands alongside Max Fried and Carlos Rodón as the clubâ€s only pitchers to register at least 30 starts.

Yet while Fried and Rodón will be central to the clubâ€s postseason plans, Warrenâ€s role is less clear. There is a real possibility the Yankees will face the Red Sox in a postseason series, and Warrenâ€s results against Boston have not been encouraging, including a six-run first inning in Sunday nightâ€s 6-4 loss at Fenway Park.

“I think itâ€s just baseball sometimes, as much as it [stinks],†Warren said. “Tonight felt like a big one. We needed to try to get the sweep there.â€

This completed a 12-game gauntlet against playoff contenders for the Yankees, with seven wins to show for it. Their remaining series are against teams with losing records: the Twins, White Sox and Orioles.

“I think it was a good stretch for us, especially facing four good teams in a row,†said infielder José Caballero, who homered in the defeat. “It has a lot to say about this team. Weâ€re ready for the playoffs.â€

New York (83-66) is 1 1/2 games ahead of Boston (82-68) for the top American League Wild Card seed, with the Red Sox holding the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Yankees fell four games behind the Blue Jays (87-62) in the AL East.

Boston sent nine batters to home plate in the opening frame against Warren, which began with Jarren Duran legging out a triple on a ball hit toward the Green Monster that Giancarlo Stanton could not track.

That began a string of five straight hits off Warren, including a Romy Gonzalez run-scoring double.

The Yanks†defense didnâ€t help; a foul ball fell between Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Austin Slater, giving Masataka Yoshida new life before a sacrifice fly. Carlos Narvaez blasted a homer to straight-away center for the sixth run.

“They came out and were aggressive,†Warren said. “Some balls went their way; Narvy had the big homer there. But I donâ€t think anything changed. Mindset stayed the same. I think I executed well for the most part in that first inning. They just put some good swings on the ball and they found holes.â€

To Warrenâ€s credit, he settled in to complete five innings, saving the bullpen. After permitting six runs and six hits in the first, he held Boston to four hits over the next four frames.

“He settled in and didnâ€t let it affect the rest of his outing. He gave us a chance,†manager Aaron Boone said.

In three starts vs. Boston this year, Warren has pitched to a 9.42 ERA (15 earned runs in 14 1/3 innings). That will certainly be a factor if the Yankees face the Red Sox, with Luis Gil and Cam Schlittler also vying for starts.

“Theyâ€re scrappy. I think you saw that tonight,†Warren said. “Theyâ€re going to put together good at-bats, make you throw a lot of pitches, and theyâ€re just not going to deviate from their plan.â€

Garrett Crochet flashed his usual dominance, striking out 12 over six innings, but the Yankees punched back. Amed Rosario clipped a two-run homer in the fourth inning, and Aaron Judge cleared the right-center-field bullpen for a solo shot in the fifth, his 48th of the season.

“Thatâ€s as clean as you can hit a ball,†Boone said. “Thatâ€s what heâ€s been searching for these past couple of weeks. It looks really good to me.â€

Caballero cleared the Green Monster with a no-doubt blast facing Steven Matz in the seventh.

“He just continues to show that heâ€s a good player and a gamer,†Boone said. “We see that power every day in batting practice. He can put on a show in batting practice, and he really stepped on that ball tonight.â€

Caballero, who also made a nice defensive play that saved a run late, said the increased playing time has allowed him to establish rhythm and timing.

“Iâ€m just trying to help the team,†Caballero said. “At the end of the day, it doesnâ€t matter what I do. Itâ€s what the team does. As long as we keep winning games, Iâ€m going to be really happy. Iâ€m going to do my best to try to help the team win.â€

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