NEW YORK _ Clues to the Yankees starter in the must-win wild-card game seemed to point toward J.A. Happ for no other reason than his scheduled starts appeared to place him in line to start against the A's a week from Wednesday.
After a 6-3 loss to the Orioles on Sunday, the bigger issue remained locking down home field for the wild-card game. That remained in doubt as the Yankees were reduced to a one-game lead in the loss column pending the A's late-afternoon game against the Twins in Oakland.
To make matters worse for the Yankees, Aaron Boone said after the game that Didi Gregorius tore cartilage in his right wrist on his playoff-clinching slide Saturday. The Yankees shortstop had an MRI and cortisone shot Sunday and the Yankees are not sure when he will return.
And all that talk of the Yankees' easy schedule after the All-Star break is now over. The Yankees end the regular season on the road with three games against the troublesome Rays and then four in Boston against the division-winning Red Sox. The A's finish on the road at Seattle and Anaheim.
The question: Will the Yankees play another game at home this season?
Happ lasted five innings as he threw 107 pitches and managed to pitch out of trouble to leave with a 3-1 lead.
But the Orioles scored four runs in the sixth, three off reliever A.J. Cole, to take a 5-3 lead. Tim Beckham's two-run home run, his second homer of the game, tied the score at 3 and then Renato Nunez gave the Orioles the lead with a solo homer. Tommy Kahnle, the winning pitcher in Saturday's wild-card clincher, came in for Cole and allowed another run when Joey Rickard, who had doubled, scored on a sacrifice fly. Luis Cessa capped off a bad day by the Yankees' bullpen by giving up a run-scoring double to DJ Stewart in the eighth inning.
Happ struck out the side in the first inning, then was given a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the inning. Orioles starter Alex Cobb lasted four pitches before leaving with a recurrence of a blister on his right middle index finger. His replacement, Mike Wright Jr., inherited a 2-and-2 count on Andrew McCutchen and walked him. His control problems continued as he walked Giancarlo Stanton and Luke Voit. Gleyber Torres scored McCutchen on a sacrifice fly and then Miguel Andujar singled in the second run. Neil Walker struck out before Gary Sanchez singled in the third run.
Happ gave up a homer to Beckham in the second, walked two batters in the third, had two men on the fourth and escaped trouble in the fifth when Breyvic Valera was thrown out at the plate by first baseman Walker. Valera had to leave the game with what the Orioles said was a fractured left index finger sustained when he slid into Sanchez.
