Wednesday night marked a new low for the New York Yankees in their century-long rivalry with the Boston Red Sox. The game was their seventh straight loss against the Red Sox, the Yankees’ longest losing streak against Boston since 1912, when the Yankees were still known as the Highlanders.

The Red Sox won the game 6-5.

The Red Sox have been able to claim the AL East for four years, dating back to 2004, and now it looks like they’re going to have it for a fifth. The Yankees may have entered the season with high hopes of a division title and plenty of confidence against their longtime rivals, but their repeated losses against Boston seem to have crushed both completely.

“They definitely have the upper hand on us now,” Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon confessed after Wednesday night’s loss.

Definitely.

The Yankees’ bullpen has been absolutely overwhelmed, with starter Chien-Ming Wang the main culprit. Wang, who brought the team 38 wins in the 2006-07 season and maintained a 46-15 record through 2008, appears to have lost control of the ball. Of 17 batters faced, Wang allowed 9 to walk balls, managing to retire only 8.

“His arm slot is all over the place,” pitching coach Dave Eiland complained. “Sometimes it’s in the right place, the next time it’s too high, the next time it’s too low. If you have different arm slots, you can’t control the baseball.”

In other words, Wang has no idea where his baseball will end up.

In the first inning, Wang threw 29 pitches; of those, he allowed one run but allowed three walks, two of which came in a row. The second inning brought another 29 pitches and Wang allowed two runs on a single and two doubles. He tried to salvage losses by striking out Kevin Youkilis and Jason Bay on sliders.

Then, in the bottom of the third, Wang delivered a home run to Boston’s Mike Lowell and then allowed hits by David Ortiz and Mark Kotsay. He managed to strike out Nick Green before being replaced by Phil Hughes.

In the last 5 starts, Wang has only managed to last a total of 13 1/3 innings. His earned run average dropped from 14.46 to 14.34. It’s also unclear if Wang is still in the rotation.

“It’s definitely frustrating for me,” Wang admitted. “I haven’t thrown a good game of ball for a while.”

But Wang is not the only player who deserves the pointing finger. The New York team seems to have lost their focus. Alex Rodriguez has been hitless in his last 13 at-bats and is 0-for-7 in the series. Derek Jeter is also 0-for-7.

The Yankees are holding on to a few glimmers of light: Mark Teixeria, who added four more hits Wednesday, including a home run; CC Sabathia, a great lefty who is almost unhittable; and Phil Hughes, who, in relief, beleaguered Tampa Bay on Monday, allowing just two hits on 63 pitches.

Sabathia is set to pitch in Thursday’s game against the Red Sox. He will face a lineup with the best on-base percentage in the American League, while his team will face a lethal Red Sox bullpen. The Yankees are desperately hoping to avoid another sweep.