​For the Red Sox, this weekend offered a tantalizing opportunity: Take three out of four in the Bronx against the Yankees, and Boston would secure the season tiebreaker and leap its rival in the standings. It would’ve been a fulfilling culmination of sorts for a club that was, just a few months ago, very down and incredibly out.Instead, the Sox were outplayed and outclassed in a disappointing series loss that likely complicates their path to postseason glory. An ugly 16-1 drubbing on Sunday, in which infielder Andruw Monasterio had to throw the ninth inning, was the frustrating cherry on the bummer sundae in which the Yankees took three out of four. For New York, it was a reassuring result, one that further solidified the current AL East pecking order.The AL East-leading Rays swept the Padres this weekend, pushing their division lead to 4.5 games over New York. That leaves the Yankees atop the wild-card race, despite having the second-best record in the American League. They’re now four games clear of Boston, which is five games safe of the next-closest club in the wild-card race. Yes, there’s still a month or so of games to play. But the playoff picture is coming into focus, with this weekend’s result making a Yankees-Red Sox wild-card rematch a very, very likely outcome.The Yankees still have the rotation advantageLast postseason, Cam Schlittler elevated himself from nice story to world-beater with a masterful, eight-inning, 12-strikeout performance against the Red Sox in AL wild-card Game 3. Less than a year later, the Massachusetts kid has evolved into a co-front-runner for the AL Cy Young Award alongside Toronto’s Dylan Cease. On Friday against his boyhood team, Schlittler further reinforced his awards case with six brilliant shutout innings in a nailbiting 1-0 Boston victory. It was a reminder that, in a rivalry overflowing with accomplished hurlers, Schlittler is top of the heap right now.He also pushes New York’s rotation past Boston’s, at least on paper. As of right now, a three-game showdown between these teams would probably feature Schlittler, Max Fried and Gerrit Cole for the Yankees against Sonny Gray, Ranger Suárez and Payton Tolle for the Sox. Carlos Rodón, Will Warren and the currently injured Ryan Weathers are other options for New York. Boston could turn to Patrick Sandoval or exciting breakout rookie Jake Bennett. Fried’s injury situation makes him something of an X-factor for New York, with the southpaw having navigated elbow discomfort all season. He returned from his latest IL stint over the weekend, working 3 ⅔ innings on just 63 pitches Saturday as skipper Aaron Boone opted for caution. Whether Fried can get himself back to his best self before October will be one of the Yankees’ bigger September storylines.Meanwhile, Boston’s rotation, the club’s backbone all season, suddenly looks a bit shaky. Suárez was abysmal on Sunday. The 36-year-old Gray is having his next start skipped. A return for Ga