LAKE BUENA VISTA — Ed Yarnall’s second spring outing was better than the first. But it would have been impossible for the rookie lefty to look worse.

After giving up 10 runs and three homers in one inning to the Blue Jays last Sunday, Yarnall went three innings yesterday against the Braves at Baseball Stadium in which he surrendered five runs and seven hits. In his defense, the numbers shouldn’t have looked so bad thanks to second baseman Rafael Bournigal not making a play and three Braves getting broken-bat base hits.

“I threw the ball a lot better, the fastball had more zip,” Yarnall said. “But that’s baseball. When things go bad, you need a break to turn it around. I don’t think I got hit that hard.”

Still, Yarnall knows in the Yankees’ universe, you produce or you vanish off the radar screen.

“The bottom line is that I gave up five runs in three innings,” said Yarnall, the early line favorite to grab the vacant No. 5 spot in the rotation. “You are out there to give your team a chance to win games, no matter how you do it. … With this team, you have to perform.”

Joe Torre liked what he saw.

“He had better stuff; the only thing was that he was rushing a little bit,” Torre said. “Today, he took a step forward and we will go from there.”

Not needing a fifth starter until the middle of April, Torre can go a few ways with Yarnall. He can be left behind in extended spring to throw or go with the team and work out of the bullpen. That’s a possibility since lefty reliever Allen Watson is nursing an inflamed bursa sac and may not be ready to start the season.

Yankees, who dropped a 9-5 decision to the Braves, have lost six of seven and are 5-13. Bernie Williams had three hits.

Yankees received lefty Ted Lilly from the Expos yesterday. The 24-year-old is one of two players to be named in the Hideki Irabu deal.

Lilly appeared in nine games for the Expos last year, posting an 0-1 record and 7.61 ERA. He’ll start season on DL because he’s recovering from shoulder surgery.