TTIME RUNNING OUT ON YANKS

BEAT RAYS, BUT SOX ALSO WIN

Luis Severino showed again why the Yankees have aligned their rotation to make sure the righthander will be ready to pitch in a potential wild-card game Tuesday.

Severino gave up just one run over six innings, while striking out nine, in a 6-1 win over the Rays on Wednesday in The Bronx.

Joe Girardi pulled him after 91 pitches and said afterward that he wanted to make sure Severino is “fresh” for his next start, when he’ll get an extra day’s rest.

The right-hander said he believes he’s ready for his next challenge, which will almost certainly be against Minnesota on Tuesday in the wild-card game at the Stadium. He’s faced the Twins just once in his career — and that was just a week ago when he surrendered three runs in three innings.

It will be the first playoff game Severino has pitched in at any level.

“I’ll have to be there to know how it feels,” Severino said of what he thought it would be like to be in that environment. “Right now, I feel confident in myself.” So do the rest of the Yankees. “He’s had a hell of a year,” Greg Bird said. “He knows there’s still work to be done. What always made him good in the minor leagues was how smart he was. He always had good stuff and the command has been there, too.”

Severino made just one mistake Wednesday, a hanging slider to Ad- einy Hechavarria to lead off the fifth. Hechavarria hit it out for the lone run surrendered by the righthander.

He also struck out nine more batters to give him 230 this season.

Only two pitchers in franchise history have struck out more batters than Severino has this season: Ron Guidry (248 strikeouts in 1978) and Jack Chesbro (239 in 1904).

And while the Rays, who have fallen out of the playoff race, didn’t put up much of a fight, Severino still delivered when he had to.

With runners on second and third and two out in the fourth, Severino faced Corey Dickerson. Severino threw Dickerson three straight 98-mph fastballs and the left fielder swung at and missed all three.

The outing capped an incredible run to end the regular season for Severino, who gave up two or fewer runs in 11 of his final 14 starts. The Yankees went 12-2 in those games.