HERE IT COMES:CC Sabathia takes aim at the Mets last night at Citi Field. The Yankees prevailed 6-5 despite Sabathia not having his best stuff. (Neil Miller)
R.A. Dickey wasn’t the only pitcher who didn’t live up to expectations last night.
Coming off his best start of the season, CC Sabathia wasn’t hit hard in the Yankees’ 6-5 win, but the Mets pestered him with nine singles and knocked him out after 5 2/3 innings — the first time this season he didn’t make it through six innings.
“I just didn’t make two-strike pitches,” Sabathia said when asked the difference between this start and his complete-game gem against Atlanta. “You have to give them a lot of credit, but I gave up a lot of hits with two strikes.”
Still, only one of the five runs Sabathia surrendered was earned, as the normally dependable Yankees defense made three errors while Sabathia was on the mound.
“Errors are going to happen,” Sabathia said after getting the no-decision. “I was the one who made it tough on myself. They’ve played great defense all year … and it was up to me to pick those guys up.”
And when Sabathia faltered in the sixth — due partly to a Robinson Cano error with one out — he still left with a lead.
But Cory Wade continued to be unreliable, giving up a single to Ruben Tejada to score Vinny Rottino and tie the game at 5-5.
He may have been in a much better position, though, if Chris Stewart didn’t make a pair of throwing errors from behind the plate.
“We had some miscues,” manager Joe Girardi said. “Stewart usually makes really good throws.”
Sabathia created some of his own problems with his inability to put batters away.
“They made him work,” Girardi said of Sabathia, who had to throw 112 pitches. “He pitched a pretty good game.”
And Sabathia continues to give up plenty of hits.
After surrendering nine last night — all singles — Sabathia has allowed seven or more hits in each of his last six outings. Not bad for most pitchers, but not what the Yankees have come to expect from him.
Sabathia found most of his difficulty in the sixth.
Cano’s error was followed by a single by Ronny Cedeno. After Josh Thole grounded into a forceout, Sabathia only had to retire Rottino to get out of the inning.
Rottino, though, worked a four-pitch walk to load the bases.
Andres Torres followed by grounding sharply toward Mark Teixeira, but the first baseman appeared to be screened by Rottino and the ball skipped into right for a two-run single, bringing the Mets to within a run.
And while the Yankees ended up getting the victory, Sabathia will have to wait at least one more start to get his 10th.
dan.martin@nypost.com
