So-so start just the ticket for CC

CC Sabathia has gone a month since earning a win. And lately, he’s having trouble lasting long enough to even qualify for one.

Coming off his worst start of the season, Sabathia threw his fourth straight subpar outing, and lasted just five innings, while taking a nodecision in the Yankees’ 6-5, 10-inning win over the Astros on Tuesday night.

Sabathia, who had allowed seven runs over 4 ¹/3 innings against the Rangers last Wednesday, struggled to keep runners off base again, allowing five runs (three earned), eight hits and two walks, with four strikeouts. He threw 99 pitches (66 strikes), with one wild one error.

Though Sabathia failed to throw more than five innings for the fourth straight start — and missed on a win for the fifth consecutive start — the veteran was strangely excited about the outing.

“I felt good,” Sabathia said. “My stuff felt a lot crisper.”

Sabathia was staked to two early leads, but surrendered a solo home run to Evan Gattis in the second inning, and then allowed a two-run double to Marwin Gonzalez in the fourth inning.

The 37-year-old received little defensive help. Miguel Andujar opened the fifth with a throwing error, but Sabathia followed with an pitch, and even worse throwing error to first, which gave Houston a pair of runners in scoring position.

Sabathia then allowed a Yuli Gurriel RBI single, a Gattis sacrifice fly and left the game on the wrong end of a 5-2 score. He was headed for his second loss in the past three games before Brett Gardner’s game-tying homer in the ninth.

Since pitching six shutout innings against the Indians on May 4, Sabathia’s ERA has jumped from 1.39 to 3.73 in just four starts.

But manager Aaron Boone loves what he sees again.

“I thought he was back tonight,” Boone said. “I thought he threw the ball really well. He felt the same way. Stuff-wise he was back.”