ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Yankees looked at their remaining schedule and saw opportunity.
It was filled with teams like the Rays, Red Sox and Orioles, all of which the Yankees are chasing as they make a bid for the postseason.
But that doesn't do much good if they don't actually win those games — and CC Sabathia continues to be unable to get on track.
The Yankees lost a second straight game to the Rays last night, 4-2 at Tropicana Field, another example their five-game surge back into the playoff race may have been more a product of playing a terrible Toronto team last week than anything the Yankees were doing themselves, as they fell 4 1/2 games out of the second wild-card spot.
EPA
A-POP UP: Alex Rodriguez watches the ball after popping out to the pitcher to end the sixth inning.
And while Sabathia was OK, giving up three runs in 6 1/3 innings, he wasn't good enough to beat David Price (8-5).
In the past, when Sabathia (11-11) took a two-run lead into the sixth inning of a game, the outcome was almost a foregone conclusion.
Not anymore.
Following five terrific innings — perhaps the best he has thrown all season — Sabathia allowed four consecutive baserunners and three scored.
"I just lost my command and tried to nibble and it cost us the game," Sabathia said. "This one hurts."
A leadoff single by Sam Fuld was followed by a four-pitch walk to Desmond Jennings and then a 2-0 count to Ben Zobrist. Pitching coach Larry Rothschild visited Sabathia after the six straight balls, but it didn't do any good, as Zobrist drilled a two-run double and Evan Longoria put the Rays up by a run when he singled in Zobrist.
"It's frustrating," Sabathia said. "Something I've expressed over the last two years is not being able to hold the lead and it happened again tonight."
Sabathia escaped the inning without further problems, but it was too late.
"It doesn't matter," Sabathia said of his recovery. "We lost. To have it go down like this [stinks]."
Especially since he was given a lead and the Yankees are in desperate need of victories and Sabathia has been unable to deliver them with any regularity.
"It feels like I can't stop the bleeding," Sabathia said. "If something gets going, it's hard for me to make a pitch."
Like many others, manager Joe Girardi hasn't grown accustomed to seeing Sabathia give away leads.
"It's not something we're used to seeing," Girardi said. "He's been such a workhouse for us and a guy when your bullpen needed a day off, you could count on giving you at least eight innings."
He hasn't done that since a complete-game loss to the Royals July 9. If that doesn't change, it seems unlikely the Yankees will be playing in October.
"He's been the guy who's a big reason we've gotten where we've gotten every year," said Girardi, who before the game dismissed the notion Sabathia has lost too much weight, but acknowledged his workload over the years may be having an impact.
It also didn't help that the offense scored just two fifth-inning runs against Price.
Today, they'll turn to Ivan Nova against Alex Cobb to avoid a sweep.
Despite the last two games and the daunting road ahead, Robinson Cano believed the Yankees had another run in them.
"We have a pretty good team," Cano said. "And we can turn this up again."
dan.martin@nypost.com
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