NEW YORK -- Jasson Domínguez ranged toward the left-field line in the top of the first inning, tracking Colton Cowser¡¯s slicing bases-loaded drive. A moment too late, the Yankees' top prospect realized he had miscalculated, lunging in vain as the ball fell behind him for a two-run single.

That misplay, one of several that Dom¨ªnguez has made this month, underscores a difficult decision with postseason games approaching. Will the Yankees opt for the run-producing potential of Dom¨ªnguez¡¯s power and speed, or the run-preventing defense they believe Alex Verdugo can provide?

It was a question worth pondering on an evening when the American League East remained unsecured, the bubbly kept on ice for a second consecutive night as the Yankees fell to the Orioles, 9-7, on Wednesday evening at Yankee Stadium.

¡°I have no excuse. That ball needs to be caught, 100 percent of the time,¡± Dom¨ªnguez said. ¡°I didn¡¯t catch the ball, obviously, and that caused my pitcher to have to throw many more pitches and work more.¡±

Aaron Judge homered for a fourth straight game, slamming his Major League-leading 57th blast, a three-run shot in the ninth inning. Juan Soto also hit his career-high 41st homer, a two-run shot in the fifth, but the Yanks were unable to overcome an early outburst against fill-in starter Marcus Stroman.

¡°Rough,¡± manager Aaron Boone said. ¡°We didn¡¯t play well early in this game. I feel like we kind of righted the ship, steadied a little bit and competed well and had a lot of good at-bats as the game went on. ... We just didn¡¯t play real well early and couldn¡¯t quite get back in it.¡±

Dom¨ªnguez¡¯s misplay came on a ball that had a 95 percent catch probability, according to Statcast, and transpired at a moment when Stroman -- starting in place of the injured Nestor Cortes -- desperately needed an out, having permitted singles to each of the first three batters.

¡°That¡¯s a tough one, going to the line like that. It came back on him,¡± Judge said. ¡°It¡¯s a tough situation. I know he knows he should have made that play. You¡¯ve got to learn from it, be better, and get them tomorrow.¡±

Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg trotted home on the misplay, and Ryan Mountcastle later added a run-scoring single as Baltimore scored three runs in that frame.

The O¡¯s added more in the fourth off Stroman, who learned of his starting assignment on Tuesday evening and was tagged for six runs and 10 hits over 3 1/3 innings.

¡°It¡¯s frustrating, but at the end of the day, I didn¡¯t execute and do my job out there to keep my team in position to win,¡± Stroman said.

During the Yankees¡¯ recent West Coast road trip, Dom¨ªnguez failed to track a Justin Turner fly ball that fell behind him on Sept. 17 in Seattle, then lost a bases-loaded Turner drive in the sun the next day, clanging off his glove as a run scored.

¡°He¡¯s missed some plays that he should make,¡± Boone said.

Wednesday marked Dom¨ªnguez¡¯s ninth Major League game of the season in left field, a position where the Yankees began playing the 21-year-old this summer at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. This season, Dom¨ªnguez saw 11 Minor League games in left field, compared with 28 in center field and one in right field.

¡°I haven¡¯t played a ton of games in left field, but I feel I can do it,¡± Dom¨ªnguez said.

As a big leaguer, Dom¨ªnguez has already accumulated a minus-2 Fielding Run Value, according to Baseball Savant. By comparison, Verdugo is credited with +3 Fielding Run Value; that¡¯s fifth in the Majors among players with at least 750 innings in left field this season. (Cowser is first, with +10.)

¡°Obviously, there are things I need to work on,¡± Dom¨ªnguez said. ¡°But I feel like with more work, I can get there. ¡­ I¡¯ve been working almost every day in left field, getting my fungoes, shagging, everything. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m that far.¡±

The converse point is that Dom¨ªnguez¡¯s blend of power and speed offers more promise at the plate than Verdugo, who has hit just two homers since the All-Star break -- the same number that Dom¨ªnguez has produced since being promoted on Sept. 9. Dom¨ªnguez went 1-for-4 in Wednesday¡¯s loss, barreling three balls at 106.5 mph or greater.

¡°You try to take it all in, what gives you the best chance to win on a given night,¡± Boone said. ¡°We¡¯re trying to give a good look to Jasson here down the stretch. We know he¡¯s capable out there. We feel like he¡¯s been giving some good at-bats of late, so we¡¯ll continue to pay attention to all of it.¡±