BOSTON — Asked a question Saturday about whether or not finding the right lineup to deploy against left-handed starters was a priority before the beginning of the postseason, Red Sox manager Alex Cora offered a stark reminder that he’s not putting the cart before the horse.

“I think we should stop talking about October, to be honest with you,” said Cora. “There’s a lot of stuff going on and we have to play better. I’m not saying we’re in a bad spot. But we have to wait to see if October is part of this.”

The Red Sox have long been in position of one of the three American League wild card spots and that’s still the case entering Saturday with 14 games to go in the regular season. The gap has closed, however. After a brutal Friday in which everyone else in the playoff picture won — including the Blue Jays, Yankees, Astros, Mariners and Rangers — the Sox find themselves in a bit of a tenuous position. The Rangers, who have won five in a row, are now just five games off the pace for the third and final spot and Boston now trails Toronto by 4 ½ games in the division race (as well as the Yankees by 1 ½ games).

Cora’s deflection was telling when it comes to the Sox, who have gone just 5-5 in September as other teams have improved their records. In addition to Texas, which is now 78-70, the Mariners have won seven games in a row to climb to 80-68, which makes them tied for the AL West lead (and a game behind Boston in the wild card race). FanGraphs still lists the Red Sox as having a 90.2% chance to reach the postseason but another performance like Friday’s quiet loss to the Yankees paired with some wins for the teams out west would close the gap further, making for an interesting final two weeks.

The Red Sox have multiple key series left on their schedule with two games remaining against the Yankees, a big trip to Toronto from September 23-25 and the final series of the regular season coming at home against the Tigers from September 26-28. In that time, there are roster questions to figure out, from who would serve as the fourth starter in a playoff series to how Cora will line up his offense against a top lefty. From the outside, it’s easy to look at the final 14 games as a tryout period as Boston sets up its playoff roster. It remains clear, though, that the internal message remains focused on winning games as Boston looks to progress toward clinching its first playoff berth since 2021. Discussions about seeding, home-field advantage and playoff matchups can wait in the eyes of Cora and his coaches.

“We’re trying to win games,” Cora said earlier this week in West Sacramento. It’s not a given we’re gonna be in October. We have to win games. There’s no tryouts here. We’re trying to win as many games as possible.”