Yankees facing most scrutiny as anxiety replaces October hopes

For more than six weeks, Aaron Boone and the Yankees mostly have taken an “all is well!” approach, one that more and more has become reminiscent of Kevin Bacon’s character amid mounting hysteria in the cinematic comedy classic “Animal House.”

Still, their Good Ship Lollipop steadily has taken on water with a 16-24 record since June 13 — including Tuesday’s badly needed 7-5 win over the Rays behind ace Max Fried.

Over that 40-game segment, essentially a quarter of the 162-game slate, the Yankees — a team with a payroll in the $300 million range — have been among MLB’s worst teams.

Through Monday, they had been tied with the Nationals for the most losses in baseball since that date, and their winning percentage only was better over that span than those posted by the Nats, Twins, Rockies and Giants, according to StatMuse.