Red Sox-Yanks rubber match could have big playoff implications

NEW YORK -- For the rival Red Sox and Yankees, a rubber match is now set for Sunday afternoon in the Bronx. Not for the finale of this four-game set, but for the season series. And that could have implications.

After the Yankees salvaged the nightcap of Saturday’s split doubleheader by handing the Red Sox a 9-2 loss, it put the teams in a 6-6 tie head to head this season.

Whichever team comes away with a win on Sunday would own the tiebreaker should the rivals finish with the same regular-season record and meet again in an American League Wild Card Series, which feels pretty likely at the moment.

The Yankees, after taking two of the first three games this weekend, currently hold the top Wild Card spot, holding a three-game lead over Boston. The Guardians are in the third spot, six games behind the Red Sox.

The Nos. 4 and 5 seeds, which the Yankees and Sox currently are, meet in a Wild Card Series while the No. 6 seed plays the division winner with the worst record, which, at this point, is all but certain to be the AL West champion.

“Well, you want to win that [tiebreaker],” said Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy. “Come out [Sunday] and put your best foot forward and try to push hard to win that game, obviously.”

In terms of improving their positioning on Sunday, the Red Sox feel good about the man they will have on the mound in lefty Ranger Suarez. They are also getting reinforcements, as DH/OF Roman Anthony and shortstop Trevor Story are both expected to be activated from injuries that required IL stints of over three months.

Here are some takeaways from Saturday night’s defeat, which came on the heels of an impressive 6-0 victory earlier in the day.

Bello’s first mishap in relief
The one lock for Brayan Bello this season had been his consistent excellence in bulk relief. That changed on Saturday night, as the righty gave up five hits and four runs while walking one, hitting a batter and striking out two.

“Bad,” Bello said. “I think I didn’t give the team the opportunity to win the game tonight.”

In his previous 12 relief appearances this season, Bello was 4-0 with a 0.99 ERA and didn’t allow more than one earned run in any of those outings.

Sogard’s sudden slug
A week ago, Nick Sogard didn’t have a career homer. On Saturday night, he hit his third since Sunday, a solo shot to right off Yankees lefty Max Fried that gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead. It turned out to be one of the few highlights of an otherwise uneventful game for Boston.

When Story returns, playing time will shift to some degree in the infield. But the way Sogard is playing in all facets, he is likely to earn plenty of time in the coming days.

Will triple get Contreras back in groove?
Red Sox cleanup man Willson Contreras entered Game 2 in a rare slump, with three hits in his previous 26 at-bats. But in this one, he drew two walks and then laced an RBI triple into the corner in right in the eighth to slim New York’s lead to 4-2.

“He’s getting on base,” said Tracy. “I think he's aware of being selective, if they're not going to throw it over [the plate]. I thought the last at-bat was great, especially when he hits the ball the other way. Like I said before, if we can get the big boys going, we'll be in a good spot.”