Yankees suffer brutal loss at awful time to Orioles | Rapid reaction

The Yankees lost to the Orioles, 6-3, at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, despite Baltimore having lost 110 games and a goal to take home-field advantage in the American League Wild Card.

Updated 6 p.m.:

Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius has torn cartilage in his right wrist and may miss the rest of the season.

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NEW YORK — The autopsy report for the Yankees’ loss Sunday will read:

Self-inflicted gunshot wound to the foot.

No other way to describe an awful loss at terrible time to the worst team in the league.

The Yankees fell, 6-3, to the 110-loss Orioles at Yankee Stadium — a day after clinching a playoff spot with an extra-innings victory.

It happened because they trusted a reliever who should have been put permanently on ice weeks ago (A.J. Cole).

Because they sat their stars (Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks and Didi Gregorius) despite a stated goal of clinching home-field advantage in the American League Wild Card Game.

And because they couldn’t muster anything against Baltimore’s horrible bullpen, which was forced into the game after just four pitches when starting pitcher Alex Cobb left the game with a blister.

The Yankees recorded just two hits after the second inning, a third-inning double from Miguel Andujar and a single in the eighth from Giancarlo Stanton.

Five Baltimore relievers held the Yankees to just three runs — all of them charged to Mike Wright Jr. in the first inning.

The Yankees started the day 2 1/2 games ahead of Oakland for the right to host the Wild Card on Oct. 3. Their magic number to clinch the spot was six. The A’s were hosting the Twins on Sunday afternoon.

They will head to Tampa Bay, which has played the Yankees tough all year, for a four-game set starting Monday. After that, it’s a three-game series in Boston to finish the season.

Disastrous sixth inning

The Orioles hung four runs on Yankees relievers in the sixth inning to take a 5-3 lead. Happ had fought admirably, though not particularly well, through his first five innings, giving up only a solo shot to Tim Beckham in the second inning.

For whatever reason, manager Aaron Boone turned to reliever A.J. Cole with a 3-1 lead to start the frame.

Cole, who came into the game with a 7.24 since the start of August, melted down.

Trey Mancini immediately doubled in a two-strike count, and then Beckham clubbed his second homer of the game, this one to left field. It was tied. And seven pitches (one batter) later, Renato Nunez yanked a homer to left field for a 4-3 lead.

Boone pulled Cole, who walked off the field to predictably loud boos.

Tommy Kahnle, a hero in Saturday’s extra-innings win, and he gave up a run, too.

Joey Rickard doubled off him and then DJ Stewart brought him in from third base with a sacrifice fly and a 5-3 Orioles advantage.

Early lead

It looked like it would be a cakewalk for the Yankees, who jumped out to a 3-0 lead after a bizarre first at-bat.

Reliever Mike Wright Jr. entered and immediately fell apart, walking the Yankees’ first three hitters.

Gleyber Torres brought in the first run with a sacrifice fly, which preceded Miguel Andujar’s RBI single. Gary Sanchez also singled in a run. Sanchez had entered the game slumping hard, hitless in his last six games (24 plate appearances).

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It could have been worse in the fifth, but Gary Sanchez threw out a runner at second base, and he applied a nice tag at home when first baseman Neil Walker threw out Breyvic Valera after collecting a grounder.

Valera slid headfirst on the play and immediately left the game with a broken finger.

Next

The Yankees and Rays haven’t announced their starting pitchers for Monday’s game at Tropicana Field at 7:10 p.m.

Brendan Kuty may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.