The Boston Red Sox clinched the season series over their rival New York Yankees last month, but they will not get the last laugh in the midst of a September playoff race.

After clinching the current series with a 5-3 win on Saturday, New York (83-65) will look to finish a sweep when it goes head-to-head with Boston (81-68) and ace left-hander Garrett Crochet (15-5, 2.57 ERA) on Sunday evening.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs to lead the Yankees on Saturday, bringing him within one long ball of becoming just the third player in franchise history to produce a 30-homer, 30-stolen base season.

“(The milestone) would mean a lot if we win the division with it, if I feel like I helped the team a lot and it helped us win,” Chisholm said.

While the Yankees remain three games behind the first-place Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East, this weekend’s results have offered some cushion — now 2 1/2 games — in the wild-card race.

Will Warren (8-6, 4.22) takes the ball for New York in Sunday’s finale.

Warren, who is 1-1 with an 8.68 ERA in his two starts against the Red Sox this season and in his career, has recorded back-to-back no-decisions. He struck out five while allowing two runs on just two hits over the first six innings of New York’s eventual 12-2 Tuesday loss to the Detroit Tigers.

Sunday’s two starting pitchers also matched up on Aug. 23 as the Red Sox won their third straight contest to begin a four-game set in the Bronx. Crochet’s 11 strikeouts over seven innings of one-run ball led Boston to a 12-1 victory. Warren allowed five runs on seven hits in four frames.

Things have changed over this weekend, however.

“All these games are super important — to get another win in this place, obviously against a really good opponent, and Crochet waiting tomorrow,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “This was a good one to get, and hopefully we can go out and finish out a great series.”

The Red Sox certainly feel good about their chances to salvage the series with Crochet taking the mound, but a 3-for-31 offensive effort with runners in scoring position over the last three games and leaving eight runners on base Saturday proved mighty costly.

The hit column was 10-10 on Saturday, as three Boston players had multi-hit games and both Alex Bregman and Jarren Duran homered. It was not enough.

Since Roman Anthony was sidelined with a strained oblique, the Red Sox are just 3-6.

Now, the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros are nipping at their heels in the playoff race, with the Texas Rangers just two games behind.

“There’s a lot of stuff going on and we have to play better,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “I’m not saying we’re in a bad spot, but I think we have to wait to see if October is part of this.”

Crochet bounced back from a season-worst start — allowing seven runs and nine hits to the Cleveland Guardians on Sept. 2 — to scatter three hits over seven shutout frames with 10 strikeouts in a Monday win over the Athletics.

The 26-year-old leads the majors with 228 strikeouts in 185 1/3 innings. He has now worked seven innings in four of his last seven starts, fanning double-digit batters in two of them.

“One run feels like five when he’s pitching,” shortstop Trevor Story said. “He had the good stuff (in his last start). … He bounced back after a tough start last time. Like I’ve said all year, that’s what the big boys do. That’s what the aces do.”

Crochet is 2-0 with a 2.52 ERA in six appearances (three starts, all this season) against the Yankees in his career.

–Field Level Media

The Seattle Mariners are playing their best at the right time.

Bryan Woo pitched six quality innings with a career-high 13 strikeouts and J.P. Crawford homered as the Mariners defeated the visiting Los Angeles Angels 5-3 Saturday night for their eighth consecutive victory.

The Mariners (81-68) will try to sweep the four-game series with the Angels on Sunday afternoon. Seattle is deadlocked with the Houston Astros for the lead in the American League West.

“This is the time you want to get hot. This is time you want to play well and these guys are doing it,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “It’s been a great stretch, doing the little things to win games.

“(Sunday) we’ll look for same game plan. Get the momentum early and keep it in your dugout. … These guys fight like crazy.”

That never was more evident than in the bottom of the fifth inning. Leading 3-2 with the bases loaded and one out, Josh Naylor fouled off eight straight pitches from Angels reliever Chase Silseth, seven of those with two strikes, before grounding a two-run single through the right side of the infield.

“Sometimes you just have to spoil some pitches,” Naylor said in a postgame interview on Root Sports. “Just trying to do my best to get a pitch and put it in play.”

Count Wilson among those impressed with the first baseman, acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks before the trade deadline.

“Naylor’s at-bat was unreal,” Wilson said. “That’s what he does. He grinds you down and comes up with the big swing.”

Jo Adell and Taylor Ward hit solo homers for the Angels (69-80), who have lost three straight.

With shortstop Zach Neto ailing (sore left wrist), the Angels called up Denzer Guzman to make his major-league debut. Guzman went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, but went to knees to snare a hard one-hopper by Eugenio Suarez and scrambled back to his feet to throw him out easily.

“Just seeing him coming today, you can tell he’s nervous, right?” said Angels acting manager Ryan Goins, who is filling in this weekend with interim manager Ray Montgomery at his father-in-law’s funeral. “Like, same with me. I’m going to be nervous when I manage the games. It’s fun to see. It’s fun to kind of share some of the nerves with someone. But he’s really good at short, he’s really good at third. He gives you a good at-bat. He really enjoys playing the game.”

The series finale will feature a pair of right-handers in the Angels’ Kyle Hendricks (7-9, 4.58 ERA) and Seattle’s George Kirby (8-7, 4.56).

Hendricks beat the visiting Minnesota Twins 12-2 Tuesday for his first victory since July 27. He pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits and one walk with six strikeouts.

Hendricks is 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA in three career starts versus the Mariners. Both of the wins have come this season in Anaheim, Calif. He gave up four runs over six innings in a 5-4 decision on June 6 and one run on two hits in six frames on July 27 in a 4-1 victory.

Kirby is winless in his past five starts. He most recently pitched Tuesday, lasting just four innings in a game the Mariners eventually won 5-3 against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals.

Kirby is 6-4 with a 3.47 ERA in 10 previous starts against Los Angeles. He has beaten the Angels twice this season, both times in Anaheim. He gave up two runs on two hits over seven innings in a 3-2 victory on June 8 and two runs in six innings of a 7-2 win July 26.

–Field Level Media