#Yankees bullpen implodes in brutal loss to rival Red Sox

BOSTON — The Yankees lost in wild fashion Thursday night, as reliever Brooks Kriske followed Chad Green’s implosion with one of his own.

Kriske threw four wild pitches in the 10th inning and Hunter Renfroe’s sacrifice fly scored Xander Bogaerts from third to give the Red Sox a 5-4 win at Fenway Park.

The undermanned Yankees, in the ninth inning, were one out away from a fifth straight win, which would have continued an improbable run with some of their top players sidelined.

Instead, Green’s struggles continued. He allowed a two-out, two-run double to Kiké Hernandez and the Red Sox tied the game in the ninth.

The Yankees took the lead back in the top of the 10th on a Brett Gardner sacrifice fly that drove in free runner Tyler Wade, who had reached third on a DJ LeMahieu grounder.

But Kriske entered in the bottom of the 10th and threw a wild pitch that sent Boston’s free runner, Rafael Devers, to third. A second wild pitch scored Devers to tie the game before Kriske walked Bogaerts to bring up J.D. Martinez.

Bogaerts moved to second and then to third, on Kriske’s third and fourth wild pitches of the inning, before Martinez whiffed. But Renfroe followed with a fly ball to right to win it.

With the loss, the Yankees fell eight games back of the first-place Red Sox, wasting a go-ahead single from Giancarlo Stanton in the eighth and 5 ²/₃ scoreless innings from Jordan Montgomery.

The Yankees were without relievers Zack Britton and Aroldis Chapman after both lefties had pitched the previous two days.

In the bottom of the ninth, with the Yankees up 3-1, Green gave up one-out singles to Alex Verdugo and Bobby Dalbec before pinch-hitter Kevin Plawecki flied out to left.

Hernandez then came through.

After Boston tied it at 1-1 with an unearned run in the seventh, the Yankees scored twice in the eighth.

LeMahieu led off the inning with a walk off ex-Yankee Adam Ottavino and then stole second. Gardner walked and Stanton came through with a single to left.

LeMahieu might have scored on the play anyway, but Verdugo bobbled it and never made a throw home, as the Yankees went ahead, 2-1.

Rougned Odor bunted the runners over and a long sacrifice fly by Gleyber Torres drove in Gardner to make it 3-1.

Montgomery cruised through the first two innings before loading the bases with two outs in the third.

Bogaerts followed with a line drive to shortstop that was caught by Torres to end the threat and keep the game scoreless.

The Yankees took the lead in the fourth.

Gardner and Stanton led off with walks to open the inning against right-hander Tanner Houck.

After Odor struck out, both runners advanced on a passed ball by Christian Vazquez.

Torres followed with a grounder to short that scored Gardner from third to make it 1-0.

Catcher Rob Brantly flied to left to end the inning.

After torrential rain fell for much of the top of the fifth, play was finally stopped after a two-out infield hit by Wade.

Following a 55-minute rain delay, Houck — who had allowed just the unearned run — was replaced by lefty Josh Taylor to face LeMahieu.

LeMahieu walked to bring up Gardner, who grounded out.

Despite the lengthy delay, the Yankees sent Montgomery, who had thrown 60 pitches, back out to start the bottom of the fifth. Montgomery retired the side in order to preserve the one-run lead.

Torres walked with two outs in the sixth and stole second before Brantly whiffed.

Montgomery retired nine straight before Bogaerts’ two-out single in the bottom of the sixth ended his night after 83 pitches.