The culprits took their turns handing the ball over to the same man, heads down and shoulders slumped, the look of men who had mangled their jobs. The members of the Yankees' bullpen had been granted their chance by manager Joe Girardi. Once they failed and before they walked away, they first had to look him in the eye.
The Yankees handed two leads to their bullpen yesterday, and both times it surrendered them instantly. Yankees relievers produced both losses at Fenway Park, summarizing one of New York's resurfacing issues. Even with Mariano Rivera at the back end, the Yankees' bullpen, built on Rivera and youth, has burdened the team with blown leads.
The bullpen allowed seven earned runs in three innings yesterday, six pitchers spreading the ineffectiveness, five of them allowing at least one earned run in a 16-11 defeat. The performance raised the bullpen's ERA to 6.68 and cost them a second straight game.
And still, Girardi sat in the manager's office in Fenway's visiting clubhouse and said, "I still believe in our bullpen."
The newest member of the bullpen, David Robertson, is only 24 and has five career appearances. The fifth came yesterday in the ninth. He entered with the score 13-11. He exited, after a walk, a double, and a strikeout, with the score 16-11.
"We have some young guys there," outfielder Johnny Damon said. "They'll be fine. Hopefully they find their way soon. They've got to pitch, and pitch well. If not, it could get ugly."
The bullpen absorbed another blow yesterday, when the Yankees placed setup man Brian Bruney on the disabled list.
"That's real tough for us," first baseman Mark Teixeira said.
During one stretch this season, Bruney retired 20 consecutive batters, and he struck out 12 of them. He pitched in nine games this year. The Yankees won seven.
Without Bruney and with their struggling regulars worn, attrition will complicate matters. Phil Coke, the only Yankee reliever to pitch in this series and not allow a run, Damaso Marte, and Jonathan Albaladejo may not be available tonight.
"Some of the young kids could possibly be forced into action," Girardi said. "Guys are going to have a chance to step up for us."
The bullpen's disintegration happened most painfully yesterday in the seventh, when Albaladejo jogged in to the mound and began the inning with the Yankees holding a 10-9 lead.
Kevin Youkilis doubled to left, then moved to third on a ground out. Up came Jason Bay, and, with Mike Lowell on deck, Girardi had a decision.
"They've both been extremely hot," Girardi said. "Jonathan is groundball pitcher and we trying to get a double play."
Bay was walked intentionally, and Albaladejo made the decision seem smart for a moment. Lowell flailed at two strikes, swinging late on a pair of fastballs.
Albaladejo tried another fastball, aiming outside. But the ball ran inside, all the way across the plate.
Albaladejo thought he had made a good pitch on accident. Even if Lowell made contact with the sinking pitch, there would be no way he could drive the ball in fair territory.
"When he first hit it," Albaladejo said, "I thought it was foul."
It zipped on a line over the Green Monster. Three runs scored. The Yankees had been outslugging the Red Sox all day, but they had no more comebacks left.
Friday, Rivera had gagged the lead in the ninth, and Marte had given up the deciding home run. The Yankees had again been foiled by their bullpen.
"They're tough losses," Damon said. "We feel like we could have been two games up on them instead of two games back. I know it's early. But any chance you have to win a game, you need to win. We let two games slip by, and now we have to play catch-up with them."
By the time yesterday's game ended, no one on the Yankees wanted to lay blame, but the reason had become clear.
"Every good team has to have a great bullpen," Teixeira said, "and the Red Sox have put together a very good one."
Adam Kilgore can be reached at akilgore@globe.com 
