Sabathia adjusting to non-ace status

It wasn’t long ago that CC Sabathia was still calling himself the ace of the Yankees’ staff.

These days, he’s dealing with the fact that games like the one on Thursday, when he pitched effectively but only lasted six innings, are the norm.

“It’s hard for me,” Sabathia said after the Yankees’ 94 win over the Marlins. “It’s difficult not being the guy, I guess, who I used to be, going deep into games.”

One night after Michael Pineda took a nohitter into the seventh, Sabathia retired the first nine batters he faced before giving up single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth.

“It just kind of is what it is,” Sabathia said. “I just go as hard as I can until I’m done. That’s something I came to grips with a couple of months … a couple of years ago. I go out there, use my pitches and try to go deep in the game.”

He struck out seven and didn’t walk anyone, but it wasn’t enough to earn a win.

“It doesn’t change the way I pitch,” Sabathia said of the new reality. “It’s just frus trating for me that I can only give them six innings at a time.”

Jacoby Ellsbury insisted he’s actually “ahead of schedule” in his rehab from a sprained right knee and still intends to be back with the Yankees by the end of the month. But he admitted he had no idea how many rehab games he will need or when he will start playing them.

Ellsbury, who originally was going to stay in Florida after the Yankees finished their series in Miami, returned to The Bronx with the team, since he’s not ready to play in rehab games.

Before Thursday’s game, he ran the bases and took batting practice.

“The reason I didn’t go to Tampa is because I’m working out with our trainers. I’m making great progress,” said Ellsbury, out since suffering the injury in Washington on May 19.

“We’re hoping to get him back pretty soon here,” manager Joe Girardi said. “I’m not sure when he’ll physically be ready. We’ve all said all along we’d get him back right around the end of the month.”

But because it’s not known when Ellsbury can start playing in games or how many will be necessary, it’s hard to put a timetable on his return.

Ivan Nova is scheduled to make another rehab start with TripleA Scranton/ WilkesBarre on Friday after he struggled with his curveball in his previous TripleA outing.

“I feel ready to pitch here, but they want me to go and work on my curveball again,” said Nova, coming back from Tommy John surgery. “I’m almost there, but they think I need one more and I do what they say. This will definitely be my last one.”

Nova’s return to the rotation should make it easier to continue giving Masahiro Tanaka extra rest, as the Yankees will do before his next start, which has moved from Saturday to Sunday.

Mark Teixeira was back at first base Thursday after missing a game with a stiff neck and went 1for5.