Aaron Judge still doesn't have a return date, and the Red Sox are close enough in the standings to feel it. That's the backdrop for this Yankee Stadium tally, where the number on the board isn't really about pitching matchups. It's about whether a lineup missing its center of gravity can still put crooked numbers on the scoreboard against the team breathing down its neck.
Every Yankees possession without Judge in the order carries a little more weight right now. Boston knows it. A quiet, low-scoring night in the Bronx reads completely differently in late August with a division race tightening than it would in May. New York's punchless stretches turn into headlines, and 7.5 becomes a referendum on how much of that offense walked out the door with him.
The Red Sox aren't just playing for a win here, they're playing into a story about what New York's lineup actually is right now. So does this game clear 7.5, proving the Yankees can still score without their captain, or does it stay under, and hand Boston one more reason to believe the door in the AL East is cracking open?