ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. _ It is difficult to describe a team that is 25 games over .500 as being in some kind of crisis.
Still, the Yankees' 7-6 walk-off loss in 12 innings to the Rays Sunday afternoon hurt on multiple levels.
First and foremost, they may be without their starting catcher for a bit.
Gary Sanchez left the game in the top of the 10th after suffering what appeared to be a leg injury of some kind running hard down the first base line trying to beat out a double play. Aaron Boone said after the game that Sanchez will probably go on the disabled list.
Kyle Higashioka, the catcher at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre who is on the 40-man roster, is likely to be summoned Monday.
The Yankees (50-25), who had won four straight entering the series, were swept by the Rays (37-40).
The Yankees had been the last remaining team in the majors not to have a losing streak of at least three games.
The Rays won it when Jake Bauers, first-pitch swinging against the still-struggling Chasen Shreve, homered to center. It was the Rays' first hit since the third inning.
A Yankees offense that had been held to one run over its previous 25 innings coming in seemed to get on track Sunday.
Giancarlo Stanton matched a career high with five hits, including an eighth-inning homer off lefty Vidal Nuno that tied the score at 6 and gave the slugger his 19th homer. It also completed a comeback from the 6-3 deficit the Yankees faced after three innings.
Rookie right-hander Domingo German, who totaled 28 strikeouts over his previous three outings, allowed six runs and nine hits over three-plus innings.
But the bullpen, as has been the case much of this season, held the opposition in check. Five relievers _ Adam Warren, Jonathan Holder, David Robertson, Dellin Betances and Chad Green _ held the Rays without a hit over eight innings until Bauers' blast to win it.
Brett Gardner opened the top of the 12th against lefty Jonny Venters with a drag bunt, completely catching the Rays off guard. Venters injured himself running to the bag and was replaced by Ryan Yarbrough, another lefty. Aaron Judge fell to 0-for-5 on the afternoon with a grounder to short, but it did put Gardner at second. But Didi Gregorius grounded to second and, after an intentional walk to Stanton put runners at the corners, Romine, who came in for Sanchez, grounded to short.
