Not even Alex Rodriguez’s return could lift the New York Yankees.

New York trailed the Baltimore Orioles by seven runs before A-Rod even got his first at-bat Tuesday night in the Yankees’ 12-2 loss.

After missing three weeks with a strained right quadriceps, Rodriguez returned to the cleanup spot and started at third base. He reached on an error in the second inning, grounded out in the fourth and hit a two-run homer in the sixth to make it 10-2.

New York was 8-12 without Rodriguez.

“We’re going to be fine. No one is running away with this thing,” A-Rod said. “I don’t know if anyone is counting us out — I hope they are.”

The Yankees survived a scary moment when Derek Jeter was hit on the left hand. X-rays were negative, and Jeter is day to day with a bruised hand.

“It’ll be fine. Obviously, it doesn’t feel good. But I should be all right by tomorrow,” Jeter said, his hand wrapped heavily. “He hit me pretty good. Fortunately, it’s not broken.”

In the other AL games on Monday night, it was: Los Angeles 3, Toronto 1; Detroit 12, Seattle 8; Chicago 4, Cleveland 1; Boston 2, Kansas City 1; Tampa Bay 3, Oakland 2; and Minnesota 11, Texas 4.

In New York, Mussina (6-4) got only two outs against his former team — matching the shortest start of his 18-year career. The right-hander had won five starts in a row.

“I never got my level of comfort, and it was just bad,” he said. “This is the same place we were a year ago. It feels a lot worse than that.”

New York had allowed five unearned runs all season before giving up eight Tuesday, its most since also yielding eight in a 10-5 loss to Cleveland on May 3, 1990.

Daniel Cabrera (5-1), who handed the last-place Yankees (20-25) their season-high fourth straight loss and sixth in seven games. New York has been outscored 30-8 during the first three games of this homestand.

“I’m hoping this is rock-bottom,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “It’s an ugly loss and you’ve just got to put this one aside.”

Angels 3, Blue Jays 1

At Toronto, John Lackey won for the first time since Sept. 28, pitching seven strong innings to help the Angels get a rare victory in Toronto.