NEW YORK – Even after a wild, game-winning wild-card party late Tuesday night, the Baltimore Orioles still found a way to beat the Yankees on Wednesday night.

Things couldn’t have started worse for the home team at Yankee Stadium, as Nestor Cortes – whose October appearance is now uncertain – was ruled out of Wednesday’s start due to an unfortunate strain of his left flexor muscle.

Marcus Stroman returned to the rotation, and it didn’t go well: The Yanks fell behind by six runs and lost 9-7 – their eighth loss to the O’s in twelve games this year.

Aaron Judges 57^th Home run of the year and fourth in four games – a three-run shot in the ninth – made it interesting, but the fireworks came too late.

Orioles and Yankees could soon meet again in the MLB postseason

Here was another reminder from the O’s that the year the Yankee captain nearly won the Triple Crown was Juan Soto’s possibly only season in a pinstripe jersey (he beat his 41^st of the year) and another season in Gerrit Cole’s heyday will not automatically be enough for them to make the World Series; they will need a strong supporting cast.

Once again, the Yankees will try to secure the AL East crown in Thursday’s series finale, with two aces on the mound – Cole against Baltimore’s Corbin Burnes.

When these teams meet again in the AL Division Series—and doesn’t that seem inevitable?—the young, talented O’s, led by Gunnar Henderson, will return to Yankee Stadium with a certain “no fear” factor.

“We’re playing against a great team that has battled us all year,” Judge said. “It’s never going to be easy, no matter what the magic number is.”

As Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Baltimore before the series opener, “Nobody had to remind me or us of the talent the Orioles have.” “It’s a dangerous club.”

And the Yankees have some internal matters to sort out before October, as they also look to secure the best record in the AL and home-field advantage in the playoffs – a big deal for a club seeking its first pennant since 2009.

Who will start an ALDS Game 3 after Cole and Carlos Rodon since Cortes is out?

Can Clay Holmes, who was released from his role as closer three weeks ago, even become a reliable setup option in a revamped late-inning bullpen lineup?

Can they count on Jake Cousins, who has developed into a reliable bullpen weapon with his vicious slider, to be part of a first-round roster? He’s currently on the injured list with a strained pectoral muscle.

Jasson Dominguez vs. Alex Verdugo raises internal questions at the Yankees

And how will the Yankees handle left field as Jasson Dominguez continues to look lost on defense?

After two errors in the outfield on his recent West Coast trip, Dominguez turned a catchable fly ball into the left field corner into a two-run single by Colton Cowser on Wednesday night.

That was part of a strange three-run first inning in which Stroman allowed six easy singles in a row and struggled on video review, turning a possible fielding error by Jazz Chisholm into a force out (on a grounder that was supposed to end the inning on a double play).

The Yankees universe rightly clamored for Dominguez to replace Alex Verdugo and his endless summer of groundouts, but Verdugo’s Gold Glove-level defense will be sorely missed.

Boone, who used Dominguez as a pinch hitter for Anthony Volpe on Tuesday night when he scored the ninth-inning home run against right-handed reliever Seranthony Dominguez, will also have to consider Jon Berti as a late-inning defensive replacement for Chisholm, who still feels uncertain at times in his new (temporary) position.

And what about Rookie of the Year candidate Austin Wells, who is 3-for-38 (.079) in his last 11 games?

All of this speaks to the Yankees’ vulnerability at the start of the postseason.

And aside from the Houston Astros, who gave them a hard time in October, no other team in recent history knows how to deal with the Yankees and their fans better than Brandon Hyde’s Baltimore Orioles.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Why the Yankees may have a problem with the Orioles with the MLB playoffs approaching