Schadenfreude 189 (A Continuing Series)

Mark Feinsand, Daily News:

Just when you thought the Yankees had hit rock bottom, it turns out there's a deeper gutter on Lansdowne Street.

That's where Christian Vazquez's two-run blast off Dellin Betances landed in the seventh inning Sunday night, finishing off an 8-7 Red Sox win as the Yankees were swept by their rivals at Fenway Park to extend their losing streak to five games. ...

Handed another lead, Eovaldi once again squandered it in the bottom of the inning as Travis Shaw hit a two-run blast to right field, knotting the game at 6.

Ivan Nova pitched 1.2 innings of scoreless relief, handing off the tie game to Betances with two out and a runner at first base in the seventh.

Betances tried to pump a 97 mph fastball past Vazquez for strike one, but the catcher turned on it and launched it into the night, depositing it over the Monster and on to Lansdowne Street as the crowd of 34,279 at Fenway went bananas. It was the first time in Betances' career that he's given up homers in three consecutive appearances.

George A. King III, Post (early edition):

Maybe there is no bottom to this Yankees' season. ...

Twice the visitors — powered by four RBIs from Alex Rodriguez — copped two-run leads and spit them out. Then in the seventh inning with the score tied, Dellin Betances surrendered a two-run homer to Christian Vazquez that lifted the Red Sox to an 8-7 victory in front of an announced gathering of 34,279 that sat through heavy rain for the first four innings.

The loss was the Yankees' fifth straight and 13th in 18 games. While the Red Sox swept three from the Yankees and moved ahead of the Orioles into the AL East lead, the Yankees are in the cellar and six lengths back.

Betances arrived with two outs, the score tied, 6-6, and a runner on in the seventh and watched Vazquez, a .222 hitter without a homer, crush a first-pitch fastball over the seats above the Green Monster. It was the third straight appearance Betances gave up a home run. Friday night, he allowed a tie-breaking blast to David Ortiz.

Working with a two-run lead in the third Yankees starter Nathan Eovaldi gave up two runs. He had the same cushion in the fifth and repeated the act.

George A. King III, Post:

April was abysmal, and May is off to a miserable beginning. ...

Twice the Yankees staked Nathan Eovaldi to two-run leads and he flushed each of them. With the score tied, 6-6, in the seventh, two outs and a runner on first, Dellin Betances’ first pitch, a 97-mph fastball to Christian Vazquez, was sent over the seats above the Green Monster. It was the third straight appearance in which Betances gave up a home run — and the second straight in this series he gave up a tie-breaking shot.

The fifth straight loss dropped the Yankees to 8-15, left them six games back of the first-place Red Sox, who squeezed past the Orioles into the top AL East spot with a three-game sweep of the Yankees and in a hole that is getting deeper by the day.

"It was a ball down the middle of the plate. He was aggressive right away and put a good swing on it," Betances said of the pitch that jumped off Vazquez' bat. "I pretty much lost two games and take responsibility for that."

Betances gave up a first-pitch, two-run homer to David Ortiz on Friday night that was the difference in a 4-2 Red Sox victory. ...

April couldn't have been worse. May is off to a miserable beginning. And the schedule gets tougher.