The Yankees have a long way to go before they can consider themselves back in the playoff hunt, but they finally are doing some things that make them look like a team that wants to be.
At the top of the list is the fact the Yankees won their a third straight game for the first time in more than a month Tuesday night with a 14-7 thumping of the Angels in The Bronx.
They also got a victory from CC Sabathia, which hadn’t happened since July 3.
The Yankees also are starting to finally see a return on their trade for Alfonso Soriano, who broke out of a slump to hit a pair of homers and drive in six runs.
Before the game, manager Joe Girardi said he saw signs Soriano was finding his swing after the left fielder admitted he was “a little lost” at the plate over the weekend.
“I have a feeling the 2,000-hit [milestone] maybe got in the way a little bit,” Girardi said of Soriano, who reached the number on Sunday. “I feel a lot better about him now that that’s behind him.”
Evidently Soriano does, too.
Soriano gave the Yankees the lead for good in the fifth with his first home run and also singled in another run an inning later in his best game since arriving from the Cubs before the trade deadline.
Soriano’s outburst wasn’t the only thing that helped Sabathia improve to 10-10 despite walking six in six-plus innings.
The one-run lead provided by Soriano was maintained in the sixth only after a questionable call on what would have been a game-tying sacrifice fly ended the inning.
Sabathia looked like he had blown the lead when light-hitting Tommy Field lofted a fly ball to left field with the bases loaded and one out. But former Yankee Chris Nelson was ruled to have left third base too early and was doubled off to keep it a 4-3 game.
Angels manager Mike Scioscia argued the call to no avail and then the Yankees piled on, scoring four runs in both the sixth and seventh innings.
Alex Rodriguez got in on the action by ripping a two-run double to left in the sixth before Soriano’s second homer of the night in the seventh.
Even the nearly forgotten Vernon Wells went deep, sending a ball just over the right-field wall to lead off the bottom of second to make it 2-1. It was Wells’ first home run since May 15.
For the Yankees, who hadn’t won three straight since July 10-12 against the Royals, all these things were welcome sights.
Nevertheless, they hardly played a crisp game, and before their bats came to life, shaky defense — combined with Sabathia’s six walks — looked like it might spell the end of the Yankees’ modest winning streak.
It started in the first, as Sabathia struck out the first two batters he faced before Mike Trout sent a fly ball down the right-field line that Wells overran, letting it fall in foul territory.
Trout ended up walking and Mark Trumbo followed with a two-run shot to left, the 26th surrendered by Sabathia.
The Angels scored a run in the third without a hit, thanks to two walks by the lefty and two errors behind him.
Dellin Betances was brutal in his first relief appearance since being called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and unable to finish the ninth despite entering with an 11-run lead.
But because the Yankees scoring their most runs since a 14-1 win in Cleveland on April 9, it didn’t cost them, as Joba Chamberlain came on to finish it.
dan.martin@nypost.com
Sabathia and the Yankees will try to improve their modest winning strreak to three games.