There were issues with the Yankees’ starting pitcher, which were exacerbated by issues with the club’s second-string defense, which came before issues emerged concerning a late-inning arm.
Add it all up, and the Yankees simply did too much wrong while digging a hole that even their bats could not escape.
The Yankees’ offense and tenacity could not make up for the other problems in a 10-7 loss to the Red Sox in The Bronx on Saturday in front of a sellout crowd of 47,020.
With no Anthony Volpe (sore elbow), Jazz Chisholm Jr. (rest, though he subbed in later) and Trent Grisham (against a lefty), the Yankees’ defense was spotty behind a pitcher in Ryan Yarbrough who does not have the type of stuff that creates much margin for error.
And on a night when the Yankees’ bullpen needed to eat five innings, Ian Hamilton was not sharp in giving up two runs in the top of the ninth to negate what had looked to be an uprising.
The early deficit was too big to overcome on a night that featured a clear starting pitcher mismatch — which probably was to be expected with Yarbrough (whom the Yankees picked up on the scrap heap in March) against Garrett Crochet (whom the Red Sox extended for $170 million in March).
For the first time since first dipping his toe into the rotation on April 11, Yarbrough was hit hard.
The Red Sox looked far more comfortable against the funky, junk-throwing lefty than the Dodgers did last weekend in an outing that spiked his ERA from 2.83 to 4.17.
Yarbrough allowed eight runs on nine hits and two walks in four innings, leaving with his club in a five-run ditch that the Yankees could not fully escape, despite putting the potential tying run on second in the eighth.
The Yankees fought back from an 8-3 hole beginning in the bottom of the fourth, when Austin Wells (who had drilled a three-run homer in the third) drove in another with an outfielder-splitting double.
A ground out from Pablo Reyes scored another, and the offense awoke again in the eighth.
Against former Yankee Justin Wilson, a rally formed with a walk to Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger, who advanced into scoring position.
With two outs, a throwback DJ LeMahieu singled up the middle to drive in two and narrow the gap to 8-7.
But with LeMahieu on second, Wells struck out.
That would be as close as they came. In the top of the ninth, Hamilton allowed a walk and three straight singles — the final from Trevor Story, who drove in five — before Aroldis Chapman blew the Yankees away in the bottom of the ninth.
The Yankees (39-24), who have won eight of their past nine series, would need to take Sunday night’s rubber game behind Carlos Rodón to keep the arrow pointing up.
Saturday’s defeat might have been decided in the third, which began with the Yankees ahead, 3-1, before a nine-batter, five-hit, five-run frame in which the Yankees’ defense first helped then hurt.
With runners on second and third and no outs, former Yankee Carlos Narvaez hit a ground ball to Paul Goldschmidt, who fielded and threw home to get the out at the plate — which would end the Yankees’ defensive highlights.
On yet another World Series Game 5 flashback, Romy Gonzalez followed by hitting a ground ball into the shortstop hole with runners on second and third.
Fill-in shortstop Oswald Peraza and fill-in third baseman Reyes could not figure out what Volpe and Chisholm could not figure out, Reyes too far off third base when Peraza fielded the ball.
Peraza swung to Reyes, who caught it but could not touch the bag in time to load the bases.
Yarbrough is not a flamethrower who can shrug off mistakes and throw heat past hitters.
A single from Abraham Toro and a double from Story — on a ground bullet that glanced off Reyes’ glove and rolled all the way to the wall — and single from Kristian Campbell gave Boston a 6-3 edge that widened an inning later.
After losing former Yankee Rob Refsnyder to a walk, Yarbrough left a first-pitch sweeper down the middle to Gonzalez, who clobbered a two-run homer to left.
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