Gail Burton / AP

New York Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia takes a break during Monday's loss to Baltimore.

New York was without Alex Rodriguez, who during spring training admitted using steroids several years ago with Texas. He will miss the beginning of the season after undergoing hip surgery. The third baseman was gone but not forgotten, as evidenced by this sign near the New York dugout: “Where’s A-Roid?”

Sabathia had a difficult first inning, giving up a leadoff single to Roberts and walking Jones before firing two wild pitches — equaling the number he threw in 253 innings last year. But Sabathia did not allow a run, and worked a perfect second before running into trouble in the third.

After New York took a 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly by Johnny Damon in the top half, Baltimore went up 3-1. Izturis singled, Roberts walked and Jones followed with a triple to right before Nick Markakis hit a sacrifice fly.

Damon hit a two-out triple in the fifth and Teixeira walked before Matsui popped out.

In the bottom half, a double by Roberts and infield hits by Jones and Markakis produced a run. Melvin Mora then got an infield hit and Huff hit an RBI grounder before Sabathia issued an intentional walk to Ty Wigginton to load the bases. Sabathia then walked Luke Scott to force in a run, ending his afternoon.

Sabathia held a heating pad against his midsection in the dugout between innings. Afterward, he said he was just keeping his hands warm.

Posada homered leading off the sixth, and later in the inning Xavier Nady doubled in a run.

A two-run homer by Matsui in the seventh off Chris Ray made it 6-5, but that’s as close as the Yankees got.

Notes: It was the fifth time in 251 career starts that Sabathia did not get a strikeout. ... Baltimore is 3-0 in openers against the Yankees. ... Nick Swisher got a pinch-hit double in his New York debut. ... Rodriguez is expected to begin working out next Monday at New York’s minor league camp in Florida.

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