NEW YORK -- In Sunday afternoon’s game between the Yankees and Cardinals at Yankee Stadium, the ball was bouncing the wrong way for both sides in what turned into a slugfest. It took until the seventh inning to settle things, as the Cardinals came away with a 14-7 win.

New York has lost four of its past five games and finds itself one-half game ahead of the second-place Orioles in the American League East.

“As bad as people think we are playing … we are still in first place,” starter Nestor Cortes said. “It’s there for us to take. We just have to come out every day prepared and be ready to win every single day.”

It was a bad day for New York’s bullpen. After Cortes left the game after four innings, the Yankees’ relievers allowed nine runs (eight earned), including five in the top of the seventh when the game had been tied at 7.

Yankees right-hander Jake Cousins started the inning, but he left the game with runners on first and second and one out. Enter Tommy Kahnle, who got Brendan Donovan to line out to left fielder Alex Verdugo but couldn’t record another out after that.

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Victor Scott II then doubled over the head of right fielder Juan Soto to bring home Nootbaar. Phil Bickford replaced Kahnle and induced a soft comebacker from Masyn Winn, but Bickford threw the ball past first baseman Anthony Rizzo, allowing Scott to score. Winn was credited with a single on the play.

“The difference is, we couldn’t close out that inning. We were still tied with two outs when they got all of those five runs,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “It’s one of those games. Tommy has been so good. Cousins has been so good. So no issues going right back to those guys, and knowing how important they have been to our bullpen and our success on the back end.”

The last time Kahnle had allowed an earned run was July 14 against the Orioles. He acknowledged he didn’t have his A-plus stuff.

“I got behind a couple of counts. I made some bad pitches,” Kahnle said. “They adjusted and took advantage. … The changeup was over the plate a couple of times. A couple of heaters were hit pretty hard. … Obviously, I want to go out and do well, and it didn’t go well for me. Hopefully, I can rebound from this. ”

Just when it appeared that Cortes was back to his winning ways, he took a few steps back. Cortes threw 80 pitches and allowed five runs on nine hits, including four runs in the fourth inning, highlighted by a two-run homer by Luken Baker.

“His fastball profile was all right. He wasn’t getting the swing and miss that he [usually gets],” Boone said. “Obviously, the Cardinals had a really good day offensively. They were putting the ball in play pretty well against him.”

It didn’t help that Cortes didn’t have the most reliable defense behind him. In the second inning, Donovan led off with a fly ball that looked routine for Soto, but he kept going back before the ball went over his head for a double. Donovan scored on a single by Walker.

Two innings later with the rain coming down, it appeared Verdugo would catch a fly ball hit down the left-field line by Winn. But Verdugo slowed down because of the wet grass, and the ball dropped in for a two-run double.

By the time Cortes left the game, the Yankees were behind, 5-2. After six innings, however, the score was tied at 7. Anthony Rizzo, playing in his first game since June 16, highlighted the scoring with a double to left field in the fifth inning, scoring Jazz Chisholm Jr. from first.

But the Yankees fell short, and they now go on the road to face the Rangers for a three-game series.

“We know how important these games are,” Boone said. “Another opportunity to win a series that we weren’t able to finish and that sucks, but it’s onward. … We have to play our best, and we have to put our best foot forward to win these games. And we hope we start that tomorrow night.”