What Ryan McMahon thought was a ray of optimism might have sounded more frightening to those who have watched the Yankees over the past month.

“We got another game later today,” McMahon said in between games of a doubleheader Sunday, “so the day’s not completely spoiled yet.”

A few hours later, it looked headed that way thanks in part to another dismal offensive performance.

But shortly after Fernando Cruz blew a one-run lead in the top of the eighth, Jazz Chisholm Jr. picked him up in the bottom of the frame, belting a home run the other way that lifted the Yankees to a 2-1 win over the Dodgers, splitting a doubleheader and avoiding a series sweep in The Bronx.

Chisholm’s disappointing year — “I’ve sucked all season,” he acknowledged Sunday night — has been one of the bigger reasons the Yankees lineup has faltered without Aaron Judge, but he has now saved them in two of their past six games with a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning or later.

“I think I just forget about all the stuff that happened early in the game and just lock in on that one at-bat,” Chisholm said. “Just try to help my team win any way I can.”

Sunday’s winning blast came off Dodgers reliever Evan Phillips in a 1-1 game and, along with some terrific work from the bullpen besides Cruz, proved to be just enough on a night when the Yankees squandered chances throughout, going 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

“That was a big win, obviously,” said Cody Bellinger, who has been scuffling for about a month but delivered an RBI single in the first inning for the 1-0 lead. “A really good team over there. Pitching was tremendous today. … Scraped one early and they kept us in this game, then Jazz with the huge homer.”

Even after getting dominated by Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s complete game in the opener Sunday afternoon, the Yankees (55-44) finished the day just 1 ¹/₂ games back of the Rays (who were swept by the Red Sox) for first place in the AL East — the closest they have been since June 29.

The rematch of the 2024 World Series featured a pair of 2-1 games — the Dodgers (63-37) taking the second-half opener on Friday — and another close game in Sunday’s Game 1 (the Yankees trailed 3-1 entering the eighth) before the wheels came off as Aaron Boone used his lowest-leverage relievers in an attempt to save his best arms for the nightcap.

That was painful in the moment, but paid dividends in Game 2 as Boone pieced together a bullpen game — 2 ²/₃ innings from Ryan Yarbrough, 2 ¹/₃ innings from Paul Blackburn, two innings from Brent Headrick, one-third of an inning from Fernando Cruz and 1 ²/₃ innings from David Bednar — to reach the finish line.

“You’re not sure exactly how you’re going to piece together the night game and a lot of people did a really nice job to allow us to get that victory,” manager Aaron Boone said.

The Dodgers, whose relentless at-bats forced Cam Schlittler out of Game 1 by the fifth inning, could not do the same in a battle of bullpen games in the nightcap, as the Yankees led 1-0 after seven innings.

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But Cruz entered for the eighth and his second pitch was a splitter over the heart of the plate that pinch hitter Tommy Edman lifted into the right field seats to tie the game 1-1.

Cruz went on to issue back-to-back walks with one out, leading Boone to call on Bednar to face the top of the order.

Bednar entered and put out the fire, striking out Shohei Ohtani and getting Andy Pages to pop out.

Then, after Chisholm provided the lead, Bednar started off the ninth by walking Freddie Freeman on 10 pitches before retiring the next three batters in order.

“We trust [Bednar] for a reason,” Headrick said. “He’s the best closer in the game and we love having him on our team.”

Things could have been easier on the bullpen if the Yankees lineup had cashed in on key opportunities earlier in the game.

They had runners on second and third with one out in the fourth inning but could not score.

Then in the fifth, they loaded the bases with no outs and still could not push any of them across as Jasson Domínguez struck out, Chisholm popped out on the first pitch and Anthony Volpe whiffed on a full count — a flashback to Game 1 of the doubleheader.

But Chisholm found redemption in his final at-bat to salvage the day.

“I feel like we match up against any team in the league,” Chisholm said. “I feel like we beat ourselves a lot. That stuff, we’re going to clean up as it goes.

“I just feel like we got to keep on trusting each other. We’ve put in the work every day. Guys don’t come here and just not do anything. Guys come in here and work every day. That’s not the problem right now. I just feel like when we trust each other, we play a lot better.”