BOSTON -- Presented with the suggestion that he may be pitching for a place on the playoff roster, J.A. Happ blinked and shook his head, replying that he intended to be a big part of the postseason. With each confidence-building outing, the veteran left-hander is increasing his odds of that.

Happ produced arguably his best start of the season in pitching the Yankees to a 5-1 victory on Saturday at Fenway Park, striking out seven while limiting the Red Sox to two hits over 6 1/3 scoreless innings. Happ has now compiled 15 1/3 consecutive scoreless frames, spanning three outings.

“For a long time, I wanted it so bad, I was trying to feel for it a little bit,” Happ said. “I certainly can't just flip it over the middle of the plate. I'm just trying to find that medium space where I feel like I'm being aggressive and executing.”

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Happ’s last two efforts have come against the Athletics and Boston, a pair of clubs boasting the offensive thump that the Yankees must counter in October. By finishing his season on a strong note, the 36-year-old could influence manager Aaron Boone’s decision-making when the club aligns its playoff rotation.

James Paxton and Masahiro Tanaka seem to be assured of making October starts, Domingo Germán has enjoyed a 17-win season and Luis Severino may be able to log as many as four starts in order to audition for a potential postseason nod. Happ has seen duty in his career as both a starter and reliever, which offers Boone some flexibility.

“First and foremost, he’s been a good pitcher in the league for a long time,” Boone said. "As he has worked hard behind the scenes, the confidence has followed.”

Happ faced the minimum through three innings, with Mookie Betts’ leadoff single erased by an inning-ending double play. Xander Bogaerts’ one-out single in the fourth -- his 1,000th career hit -- was the only other knock permitted by Happ, who improved to 11-4 with a 3.00 ERA in 25 regular-season games (24 starts) against Boston.

“I feel like we kind of came today with a little bit of an edge, a little irritated, maybe, after last night,” Happ said, referring to New York’s series-opening 6-1 loss on Thursday. “We battled, they threw a lot of guys at us today. Our offense did a good job of battling those guys. It was a good overall win, for sure.”

Gary Sánchez stroked a two-run ground-rule double and Edwin Encarnacion cleared the Green Monster for his 32nd home run as the Yankees produced a four-run fourth inning off relievers Ryan Weber and Colten Brewer, two of seven pitchers used by the Red Sox.

The victory reduced the Yankees’ magic number to secure the American League East to 11, and if New York can win its next two games, it will end Boston’s hopes of repeating as division champions.

“They won the World Series last year and knocked us out [in the American League Division Series]. I'm sure it wouldn't feel bad,” Happ said.

Parrot walk

Encarnacion has two homers and five RBIs in four games since returning from the injured list on Tuesday, an encouraging sign as the Yankees consider how the slugger’s big bat could fit into their October mix.

“I've been saying, when he gets hot, he is one of the best hitters in the game,” Happ said of Encarnacion, a former Blue Jays teammate. “I haven't seen many like him when he gets hot.”

The two-run shot, Encarnacion’s 11th homer in a Yankees uniform, traveled a Statcast-calculated 423 feet. Encarnacion said that he senses that the club has the potential to achieve special things over the next few weeks.

“I think the biggest difference is how deep this team is,” Encarnacion said. “I’ve been part of some good teams, but there are so many guys here that are so talented. We have so many of those. I think that’s the difference.”

Decisions, decisions

Boone said that the Yankees have not decided if Severino’s next appearance will come in the Majors, but they plan to have that settled on Sunday. If so, Severino would be inserted as a starter, which would affect those hoping to log postseason starts -- a group that includes Happ.

“I think these three weeks will be important in seeing where guys are at as we get into the decision-making process, how we’re going to match guys up and things like that,” Boone said. “I think it’s fair to say that these are an important few weeks.”

Happ has not given much thought to his standing as far as the playoffs go, saying that the Yanks’ focus is on winning as many games as possible.

“If I can go out and feel like I felt today, I like my chances,” he said. “They'll decide what they want to decide. Whenever they ask me to pitch, I'm pitching.”