IF CARL PAVANO can’t put away the likes of Jonny Gomes and Nick Green, he’ll never put away Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz in October.

If the Yankees can’t put away the Devil Rays after coming off an “8th Wonder” of an inning the night before, they’ll never put away the Red Sox or the Orioles when it counts.

Here’s what you are looking at right now for George Steinbrenner’s $205 million: a team that can’t finish.

Pavano is the poster child for a pitcher who can’t finish.

“We’re still learning about him,” is the gentle way pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre put it yesterday after the Gopher Man gave up a three-run homer to light-hitting No. 9 hitter Green with two outs in the seventh to give Lou Piniella’s club a stunning 5-3 victory at the Stadium.

That home run is not to be confused with the two-out, two-run homer Pavano surrendered to Gomes, who is an amazing story, having come back from a heart attack suffered on Christmas Eve 2002. The fourth-inning blast erased the advantage of a two-run jack by Gary Sheffield in the first off Scott (We Remember) Kazmir.

Final grades won’t be posted until October, but Pavano’s 16-start progress report is in the mail, and it is not good.

Those were the 15th and 16th home runs of the season given up by Pavano, equaling Randy Johnson’s total. That’s a lot of home runs for the $26 million the Yankees have shelled out this season for the two starters, $3 million less than the Devil Rays’ entire payroll. Pavano matched last year’s entire total for home runs when he was with the small-market, big-field Marlins.

Welcome to the American League, Carl.

As he talked to the media, Pavano looked like someone headed to a root canal convention. It may have been a coincidence, but two folding chairs embossed with the Yankees logo were smartly positioned in front of Pavano’s locker, keeping the media a safe distance away during the interview process.

If only his pitches were as well-positioned. Pavano tried to go inside with a 1-2 fastball but missed as Green whiplashed a home run to left, his third of the season.

The way Pavano is pitching, he should be happy anyone bothers to stop to talk. He hasn’t won in a month. Over those six starts he is 0-4. That’s not how you earn your $10 million around here.

Then, in a curious exchange, Pavano completely disavowed any knowledge of a blister that was raised during the game, a blister Joe Torre freely talked about.

If Pavano took the same approach against opposing hitters as he does against inquiring minds, his record might be better than 4-6.

Then again, it might not.

The mantra in the clubhouse was that Pavano made two bad pitches, the two home runs. Well, it wasn’t such a great pitch when he hit No. 8 hitter Toby Hall before allowing Green’s blast. Pavano has shown a knack for getting himself into trouble and not getting out of it.

Same goes for this Yankees team that has to live with the fact that Tampa Bay is 3-2 at Yankee Stadium, with one of those losses a blown eight-run lead. The Devil Rays are 4-27 on the road against the rest of baseball.

The Yankees are 11-18 against the AL East. Six pitchers, including Pavano (4.69), own an overall ERA above 4.50. The Yankees were 0-for-7 yesterday with runners in scoring position against a team that is on pace to allow a frightening number of runs, the most in 65 years.

“This was a tough one today,” Alex Rodriguez said. “Kazmir kept us off-balance all day.”

Of the 25-47 Devil Rays, A-Rod added, “They give us a tough time. They’ve got a good team. We know when Lou comes in here he is going to always have his troops ready.”

The Yankees, with all their false starts, aren’t ready for the Devil Rays – or anyone else.

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Home alone

Carl Pavano’s struggles at Yankee Stadium continued yesterday in a 5-3 loss to the Devil Rays.

Here’s a look at Pavano’s numbers at home and on the road:

Home — Away

9 . . . . . . . Starts . . . . . . 7

1-3 . . . . Record . . . . 3-3

6.96 . . . . . ERA . . . . 2.49

47 . . . . . . . . IP . . . . . . . 47

73 . . . . . . . . H . . . . . . . 47

42 . . . . . . . . R . . . . . . . 20

36 . . . . . . . ER . . . . . . 13

10 . . . . . . . HR . . . . . . . 6

11 . . . . . . . BB . . . . . . . 6

34 . . . . . . . . K . . . . . . .23

.343 . . . . . Avg. . . . . .260