Despite weak competition, Sabathia passes test with flying colors

CHICAGO — Sometimes, you grade on a curve.

Sometimes, you accept your “A” without scrutiny and move onto the next class.

For CC Sabathia Tuesday night, here at Guaranteed Rate Field (worst ballpark name ever), everyone will surely and gladly opt for the latter.

The big lefty put together his best start in over a month, keeping the White Sox in check and

then some as the Yankees prevailed in 13 innings, 4-3, with Miguel Andujar’s RBI single making the difference after Zach Britton gave up a two-run lead in the bottom of the 10th. How much this had to do with Sabathia and how much with his weak competition — with 4.07 runs per game, the White Sox rank 11th in the American League — the Yankees will table for another day. Especially since Sabathia’s next few starts

won’t feature considerably better competition.

In 5 2/3 innings, Sabathia allowed just one run on four hits and three walks, striking out a season-high 12 — his highest K count since he fanned 12 Blue Jays on Aug. 17, 2016, at Yankee Stadium. He created some trouble with his free passes, only to routinely escape trouble, limiting the White Sox to no hits in six at-bats (plus a sacrifice fly) with runners in scoring position. He lowered his ERA modestly from 3.59 to 3.49.

That he did this on the standard four days’ rest, after the Yankees

took great pains to ease Sabathia’s workload, had to please his superiors all the more. In his first two starts after the All-Star break — the first of which didn’t take place until July 28, more than a week after the second half launched — Sabathia didn’t last long enough to even qualify for a win. He made it only 4 2/3 innings against the awful Royals, then got the hook after three exhausting innings against the Red Sox last week at Fenway Park. In his two starts prior to the break, he permitted five and four runs to the Orioles and Indians, respectively.

So if the Chisox knocked

around Sabathia, we’d be declaring it a crisis. Therefore, he and his employers are entitled to breathe a sigh of relief. And they can know that more cupcakes await.

If the Yankees keep their starting rotation in line and Sabathia keeps healthy — and if the weather doesn’t botch plans — his upcoming assignments will look like this: Sunday against the Rangers home, Aug. 18 against the Blue Jays at home, Aug. 25 at the Orioles and Aug. 30 against the Tigers at home. That represents a summer gift basket, an opportunity for Sabathia to refine his stuff

against de facto sparring partners before the schedule grows tougher in September.

At this juncture, it’s not clear whether Sabathia would be part of the Yankees’ postseason starting rotation should they win the AL wild-card game and advance to the AL Division Series against the White Sox. Luis Severino would start the wild-card game, you’d think, and Masahiro Tanaka and new guys J.A. Happ and Lance Lynn all are in position to merit serious consideration to join that group.

You could envision Sabathia as a “one time through the order,”

multiple-innings reliever. Someone who would accept his assignment without complaint and tackle the job without fear to lengthen the Yankees’ impressive bullpen even further.

There’s of course plenty of time before we — and the Yankees — arrive at that juncture, and much can change between now and then. Yet that we’re having this conversation, rather than one about Sabathia’s woes continuing versus a terrible opponent, goes down as progress. On this night, Sabathia received a good hand, and he played it without incident.