ST. PETERSBURG — The Yankees don’t just lose ballgames anymore. Each day turns into a brand new saga, replete with heartbreak, aches and pains and scapegoats.
Yesterday, Robinson Cano took his turn in the Yankees’ trainers’ room and dunk tank, and when baseball’s priciest team reports to work today at Tropicana Field, it’ll do so knowing that its tenuous grip on the American League East is in play.
The key numbers here were four (runs scored by the Rays), three (runs scored by the Yankees), one (the Yankees’ lead, in games, over Baltimore, which shut out Toronto) and two (the number of cringe-worthy moments, both in the eighth inning, for Cano). We’ll see today whether Cano, who complained afterwards of tightness in his left hip, boosts one of the higher numbers in the Yankees’ universe — the number of important players who have missed time this month with injuries.
“It’s not a good feeling,” Cano said of the Yankees’ standing. “You’re losing games, and you want to win games. You want to put your head down and try to turn the page, be ready for tomorrow.”
Cringe-worthy moment number one came with two outs in the top of the eighth. With the game tied, Cano hit a soft line drive to third baseman Elliott Johnson, who at first appeared to glove the ball and then dropped it. Cano didn’t run out of the box — a bad habit of his, as we know — thereby giving Johnson the time he needed to recover and throw to first for the third out.
“I think [Cano] thought [Johnson] caught it. And then he ran,” Joe Girardi said, a description with which Cano agreed. “That happens.”
Lowlight number two arrived in the bottom of the eighth inning, with the game tied, 3-3. With two outs and Ryan Roberts on second base, Tampa Bay catcher Chris Gimenez stroked a grounder to the right-side hole. Cano chased after it, reached down — and let the ball get under his glove, allowing Roberts to score the go-ahead run.
“I thought he was going to get there,” Girardi said. “Robby’s so good for us. He didn’t get there. Maybe the ball’s quicker on turf.” Asked if Cano should’ve dove, Girardi said, “You’ve got to try to do everything you can to stop it.”
“It’s just unfortunate that we weren’t able to get the out right there,” said Yankees reliever David Robertson, who pitched the eighth.
“I was trying to reach,” Cano said. “The ball went just under my glove.”
Most importantly, Cano said, his hip acted up as he pursued the ball. A look at the replay shows Cano appeared to pull up three steps after missing out on the ball. Afterwards, he said he still felt something in the hip, and he expressed uncertainty over his availability for tonight.
“I think he’s OK,” Girardi said. “I’ll know more [today].”
If Cano actually can’t play, that would leave Girardi without Cano and Mark Teixeira (left calf), with Curtis Granderson (right hamstring) on the mend — he struck out as a pinch-hitter to end yesterday’s game — and Alex Rodriguez (left hand) just back.
Yesterday began with the Yankees turning to their two highest-paid players, A-Rod and CC Sabathia, to lead them out of the abyss. Rodriguez, starting at designated hitter for his first major league appearance since July 24, went 1-for-4 and scored a run. Sabathia started and pitched competitively, allowing three runs over seven innings, but he couldn’t protect the 3-2 lead the Yankees gave him in the fourth.
“It’s frustrating, especially after the last outing (an Aug. 29 loss to Toronto), not being able to hold a lead today,” Sabathia said. “I’ve just got to be a lot better than I was.”
That goes for pretty much all of the Yankees.
“I feel that if we play with this type of intensity, it’s going to be a fun September,” A-Rod said, and for sure, this ranked as one of the team’s better games of late.
But process gets you nowhere this time of year. Only the results matter.
“We’ve got to win games. That’s it,” Derek Jeter said. “It doesn’t get more complicated than that.”
Except that nowadays, nothing seems simple for these Yankees.
kdavidoff@nypost.com