Yankees' collapse continues as best possible comeback effort dies vs Red Sox

It's shaping up to be the longest nightmare for modern day New York Yankees fans. The spiral has no end in sight, even though it appeared they had a chance to stop the bleeding in the seventh inning on Friday night.

The Yankees led 7-4 after Aaron Judge belted a three-run home to an area of Fenway Park not many baseballs have traveled to. Austin Wells sent one over the right field wall right after that. Double gut-punch for Boston. Red Sox fans were quiet. The life was sucked out of the crowd. The Yankees needed nine more outs to kick off a crucial series against a rival who is on their tail in the playoff race.

But this team has been incapable of working in unison for almost two months now. The bullpen wasted no time giving runs back, and it eventually ended with a tag-team meltdown from Luke Weaver and Clay Holmes in the bottom of the eighth inning.

The Red Sox took the opener 9-7 and the Yankees are still searching for answers. Aaron Boone will tell you it's right in front of them in the postgame at some point. You don't even have to fact check that – it will happen.

Only this current version of the Yankees could waste this home run by Judge ans well as the rally that completely took over the seventh inning.

Yankees' collapse continues as best possible comeback effort dies vs Red Sox

Only this current version of the Yankees would completely give away a game in which the offense finally exploded for 14 hits. Alex Verdugo, Anthony Volpe, Oswaldo Cabrera, Gleyber Torres and Austin Wells all had two or more hits. Trent Grisham had a clutch RBI double. It all felt right.

But Weaver gave up a two-run homer to the second batter he faced in Ceddanne Rafaela. Then when he came in for split-inning duty for the eighth, he allowed the first two baserunners to reach before Boone went to Clay Holmes for a five-out save, something that was never going to work.

And it didn't. Holmes gave up a hit on the second pitch he threw, which tied the game. Then he gave up the game-losing hit to Masataka Yoshida, who burned him earlier this month in the Bronx with a game-tying home run in the ninth that eventually saw the Sox win. The Yankees were one strike away from taking that game.

Blame who you want for this one. Take your pick. Nestor Cortes is a culprit for allowing four earned runs on nine hits and two walks in just 4 2/3 innings. He kept leaving meatballs over the plate for the Red Sox to crush. Blame Weaver, who couldn't have looked worse. Blame Holmes, who couldn't even get settled for a second before surrendering the hits that lost them the game. Blame Boone for putting in DJ LeMahieu and removing Ben Rice in the seventh, only to see the veteran strike out with runners on in the top of the ninth.

The Yankees had hope for about six minutes in this one, but this team has no chemistry. Nothing aligns whatsoever. Their best relievers were rested enough to shut this one down, but instead it was another collapse of epic proportions.

At this point, we don't even know if trade deadline additions and subtractions can fix this team. It might be another rotten year with the root of the problem hidden deep inside the clubhouse that even the most diligent reporters will never find.