NEW YORK -- The fastball rolled off Chad Green's fingers, a belt-high invitation to Bobby Dalbec, and the thunderous crack that followed provided all the information that the Yankees right-hander needed. Like most of this rivalry week, that eighth-inning drive was tough to watch.

Dalbec's two-run homer stamped an exclamation point on a four-run frame as the Red Sox surged to hand the reeling Yankees a 7-3 loss on Saturday at Yankee Stadium, the Bombers' ninth loss in their last 12 games. They have lost four of six in what they hoped would be a statement homestand against division opponents.

"I think it's just missed opportunities," Green said. "I think we're one pitch away, one at-bat away, one big hit away. That's just baseball sometimes. Throughout the season, you're going to go through times like that. You just hope they're not consecutive games or back-to-back weeks."

Kiké Hernández and Christian Vázquez also drove in runs against Green, who could not record the third out of the inning. Hernández snapped an 0-for-27 skid with a two-out RBI double, chasing home Rafael Devers with the go-ahead run, and Vázquez followed with a soft double that scooted over the first-base bag.

Facing the challenge of salvaging Sunday's finale, the Yankees are winless in their last four series after winning their previous seven and going undefeated in their last 10. They have been outscored 45-22 since May 28, the first game of a three-game sweep at the hands of the last-place Tigers in Detroit.

"We understand that, over the course of a long season, adversity is coming for us," manager Aaron Boone said. "We've had our share in these first 60 or so games. We've had a couple of stretches where we've really taken it on the chin. If we're going to be the club we expect to be, we've got to rally from that."

Three for G.T.
Gleyber Torres drove in all three Yankees runs, slugging a two-run homer in the fourth inning and lifting a game-tying sacrifice fly in the sixth.

The power was a welcome sight for Torres, who has hit six homers in 92 games over the last two seasons after cracking a career-high 38 long balls in 2019.

"I feel like we're close," said right-hander Jameson Taillon, who was charged with three runs in 5 1/3 innings. "I know people have been saying that the whole time, but I'm in there. I see the work that guys are putting in, the conversations that are going on. There's a lot of care, a lot of passion. Guys are working to get through it."

First baseman Chris Gittens went 0-for-3 with a walk in his Major League debut. The 27-year-old slugger had his contract purchased from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre before the game.

"It was literally everything I dreamed of," Gittens said. "The stakes, Red Sox vs. Yankees, growing up watching that all my life. It was incredible. It was a blessing to have my family there and have all my friends watching me back home in Texas."

Third time around
With help from dazzling first-inning plays by Gio Urshela and DJ LeMahieu, Taillon arguably turned in his best start as a Yankee thus far, pitching scorelessly into the sixth. Taillon ran into trouble his third time through the order, which has been an ongoing theme for the right-hander.

Taillon was hurt most by Miguel Andújar's inability to catch Xander Bogaerts' double against the left-field wall -- a play that had a 95 percent catch probability, according to Statcast, and loomed large in that inning.

"Right away, I jumped off the mound, knowing I missed my spot and that it was maybe a homer off the bat," Taillon said. "Then I realized he didn't get all of it. I was just thinking homer; maybe it's an out, then it's a double. There was a lot going on through my head there."

Rafael Devers followed with a two-run single to right field off Taillon, and Marwin Gonzalez gave Boston a lead with an RBI double off Jonathan Loaisiga.

"When you're playing the Red Sox, a team with a good lineup, it can come down to a couple of pitches in a game," Taillon said. "By letting those three straight guys get hits with two strikes there, I felt like that was a really big part of the game. Another night of a couple of pitches can really hurt."