It’s Defcon 5 in Yankee-land. The White Sox waltzed into the Stadium and took two out of three. In the meantime, the Red Sox swept the Rangers. Boston now leads New York by 5 1/2 games in the American League East. And the Yanks trail the Wild Card race by 4 1/2 games.

And while the Yanks’ offense floundered against the White Sox, the Indians leapfrogged over New York in the Wild Card race.

The slumping but potent Rangers come into town for a four-game series beginning Thursday. And with Randy Johnson’s back barking, Joe Torre will hand the ball to Scott Proctor. The righty, making his first Major League start after pitching out of the bullpen for the last two seasons, is 0-0 with a 5.16 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP in 23 innings pitched this year.

It’s a make-or-break series for the Yankees. They need to take three of the four games — and hope the White Sox have a successful weekend in Boston.