Raul Ibanez (left) and the Yankees fell once again Monday, this time to Elliot Johnson (right) and the Tampa Bay Rays. Zuma Press

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—The bouncing ball skittering across the turf infield of Tropicana Field was the kind of grounder that Robinson Cano usually reaches. Even if it is beyond the range of most second basemen, Cano is known for effortlessly cruising across the field, scooping the ball up and flicking it to first base.

But Monday, he didn't get there. In a disastrous eighth inning for the backsliding Yankees, Cano felt his hip grab as he tried to reach for a grounder, and as a result the ball bounced into the outfield.

As Cano pulled up lame, the go-ahead run came around third to score, leading to a 4-3 victory for the Tampa Bay Rays.

In a single moment, the injury-ravaged Yankees lost not just another game off their dwindling American League East lead (now just one game over the Baltimore Orioles), but perhaps also their best hitter.

"Right when I tried to bend my legs, I just felt my hip a little bit," Cano said. "When I was trying to reach, the ball went just behind my glove."

The extent of Cano's injury is unclear, as is his status for Tuesday's game. But the Yankees hardly can afford to lose yet another star with center fielder Curtis Granderson and first baseman Mark Teixeira still sidelined.

And if the events in Tampa weren't bad enough, a quick glance at the scoreboard served as a reminder that things always can get worse. The Orioles—who won two of three in the Bronx over the weekend—kept it up, beating the Toronto Blue Jays. The 10-game cushion that the Yankees held in July is a distant memory, and first place is almost gone.

"Almost. But it's not," said Yankees captain Derek Jeter. "See, I look at the positives.…Like I said before we even got into this month, we play everyone. So we've got to win games. That's it. It doesn't get any more complicated than that."

But the power of positive thinking hasn't been enough lately. The Yankees have lost four of their last five, nine of their last 13. The possibility of winding up in the new one-game wild-card playoff grows—as does the unthinkable prospect of missing the playoffs entirely. The Yankees are only 2½ games ahead of the Rays, who are currently the top team outside of the playoff picture.

Monday was supposed to be a good day: At last, the Yankees were getting one of their injured stars back, as third baseman Alex Rodriguez returned to the lineup after missing five weeks with a broken hand. Instead, the Yankees are still losing ground in the standings and now have to worry about Cano's status.

Tampa Bay starter James Shields (13-8) went eight innings and held the Yankees to three runs, and the Rays were able to chip away at Yankee ace CC Sabathia enough to craft a 3-3 tie in the eighth inning. With two out, light-hitting Rays second baseman Ryan Roberts singled, then stole second as Yankee reliever David Robertson took his time delivering the pitch to the plate.

Tampa Bay catcher Chris Gimenez followed by hitting his skittering grounder, and Cano hurt his hip making the play. Rays closer Fernando Rodney made short work of Rodriguez and the Yankees in the ninth inning, and the Yankees were left to stew about how to get out of this funk as the Orioles and Rays continue to close in.

To Rodriguez (1 for 4), the way out is to forget about the big picture and not get caught up in the standings.

"The way you come out of things like this is by doing the little things," he said, "and if we focus on doing the little things and become master at those, we don't have to worry about big things."

Inside the Yankee clubhouse, a chorus of players sounded that same message. Do the little things. Stay focused. And above all, don't panic—even if Yankee fandom is looking at the standings and doing just that.

"I don't panic," Jeter said flatly. "So I don't have to deal with it. Everyone deals with it differently. But I'm not one to panic."