DETROIT — It took CC Sabathia until the final weekend of spring training to learn he had turned back Ivan Nova for the No. 5 starter’s spot. And then it was clear the 35-year-old lefty isn’t on a long leash.

“Go out and give us five or six good innings, kind of what we are asking out of our starters to do the first time through,’’ manager Joe Girardi said of Sabathia, whose career regular-season mark against the Tigers is 19-13 (6-4 as a Yankee) and who is 10-6 at Comerica Park. “The conditions aren’t going to be good [Saturday]. CC is usually pretty good at shutting things out and battling through that.’’

The veteran lefty is in for a battle because the Tigers are loaded with right-handed muscle. In Friday’s 4-0 victory, the Tigers had one pure left-handed hitter,
Anthony Gose, in the lineup against Luis Severino.

“They definitely have a good lineup, one of the best in baseball,’’ Sabathia said of the group headlined by Miguel Cabrera. “I will try to throw strikes and see what happens.’’

Sabathia is no longer the staff ace, but his first start of the season still holds an attraction.

“It’s always fun, the first one,’’ Sabathia said. “I hope it’s a good one.’’

Starlin Castro limped away from being slid into by Andrew Romine at second base in the eighth inning, and the Yankees had to hold their breath because their hottest hitter appeared to be injured.

Fortunately the second baseman remained in the game and following a 4-0 loss said he was fine.

Asked where Romine, the brother of Yankees’ catcher Austin Romine, got him with a legal slide, Castro pointed to his right hip.

“I am good, nothing bad,’’ said Castro, who according to a replay official, didn’t touch second base when turning a double play and had the call on the field overturned.

Yankees reliever Luis Cessa wasn’t with the Tigers long last year after he was dealt from the Mets to Detroit in the Yoenis Cespedes trade. And he never was Miguel Cabrera’s teammate in the big leagues.

Of course, the right-hander knew about the Tigers’ first baseman, who is considered one of the top five hitters in baseball. So, when Cessa made his major league debut in the seventh inning Friday, he knew Cabrera was the second batter he was going to face.

“The first hitter [Justin Upton] I struck out and gave me confidence, an amazing feeling,’’ said Cessa, who the Yankees got from the Tigers in the Justin Wilson deal. “[Cabrera] is one of the best hitters in the majors. I made one bad pitch and paid for it.’’

Cabrera smoked a 3-1 pitch for an opposite-field homer to right that upped the Tigers’ lead to 4-0.