Insult, injury ruin Yanks’ good vibes
NEW YORK — The playoff-bound Yankees blew a three-run lead against the majors’ worst team Sunday — and then came the really bad news.
New York shortstop Didi Gregorius has torn cartilage in his right wrist and is unsure whether he can play in the American League wild-card game on Oct. 3.
Gregorius, who has 27 home runs and 86 RBIS, was injured Saturday when he slid headfirst on Aaron Hicks’ 11th-inning double to score the run that clinched the Yankees’ postseason berth.
“It feels a little bit better now,” Gregorius said after missing a 6-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles in New York’s final regular-season home game. “I slid into home plate, my right hand got stuck. We were celebrating, everything was fine. I went home, fine. I woke up this morning, it wasn’t feeling good.”
Gregorius had an MRI examination that revealed a small tear, he said. He received a cortisone shot and will be re-evaluated “in a few days,” manager Aaron Boone said.
New York has seven regular-season games left and is trying to secure home field in the wild-card game. The Yankees are 1½ games ahead of Oakland for the top AL wild card.
If Gregorius is unavailable, the Yankees have a couple of options at shortstop. They could turn to Adeiny Hechavarria, an excellent fielder. Or they could slide Gleyber Torres over from second base and put Neil Walker at second.
Boone said it’s important to the Yankees to get the wild-card game in the Bronx — where they went 53-28 this season. They didn’t play that way Sunday, though.
Tim Beckham homered twice, and Bishop Gorman product Joey Rickard had two doubles, a single and scored twice for the Orioles, who trailed 3-0 early.
J.A. Happ needed 107 pitches to get through five innings in a possible tuneup for the wild-card game. Happ allowed only one run, but A.J. Cole (3-1) quickly coughed up a 3-1 lead in the sixth as the Yankees rested their best relievers.
Baltimore (45-110) remained one loss shy of matching the franchise record for defeats set by the 1939 St. Louis Browns (43-111).
Alex Cobb lasted four pitches in an abbreviated start, leaving with another blister problem.