Unlike Ivan Nova, Phil Hughes knew what to do with a comfortable cushion, despite not being pleased with the way he performed.
One day after Nova flushed a five-run, first-inning lead, Hughes made sure a large early advantage didn’t swirl into the drain on a rainy Wednesday afternoon at Yankee Stadium, where the Yankees punished the Orioles,12-3, in front of 44,593 soggy customers.
Though Hughes was far from dominating, he didn’t let the Orioles rebound from the deep ditch the Yankees hitters put the Birds in with two runs in each of the first two innings and seven in the third, when Robinson Cano hit a grand slam.
“I didn’t pitch well at all. I didn’t have good stuff,’’ said Hughes, who gave up nine hits and walked two in six innings but allowed just one run, because the O’s stranded nine runners and went hitless in 11 at-bats against him with runners in scoring position. “I had to bear down and get outs. I was really fortunate to get the runs. It’s disappointing to have a start like this. We were fortunate to get the outs we did.’’
The victory stopped a four-game losing streak, which matched the longest of the season, and extended the Yankees’ AL East lead over the Orioles to 6 1⁄2 games. It was just their fourth win in 13 games.
Working without Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira in the middle of the order, the Yankees punished O’s starter Zach Britton. In 2 2⁄3 innings the salad-throwing lefty gave up seven runs, seven hits and walked three.
“Even with guys out, the offense is capable of scoring runs,’’ manager Joe Girardi said of his lineup, which posted 15 hits and went 7-for-13 with runners in scoring position.
Every Yankees starter except newcomer Casey McGehee got at least one hit. McGehee, who started at first base, went 0-for-2, walked, drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, scored twice and grounded into a pair of double plays.
Jayson Nix and Derek Jeter had three hits each. Cano’s grand slam was his 24th homer of the season and his ninth career slam.
“I was looking for something for a strike. He threw me a cutter. Then he threw me a nice sinker,’’ said Cano, who singled in the first inning, was hit in the right foot in the sixth and walked in the eighth. “I was looking for a strike. He threw me a breaking ball.”
“It was a coming out party,’’ said Nick Swisher, who went 2-for-4 and drove in a run. “You enjoy a game like this.’’
Joba Chamberlain made his 2012 debut, entering the game in the seventh inning and was greeted with a rousing ovation. Chamberlain gave up two runs and four hits (one homer) in 1 2⁄3 innings.
Hughes is 7-3 with a 2.77 ERA in the last 11 starts and has to be considered with Hiroki Kuroda for the No. 2 starter’s spot in the postseason. Hughes improved to 11-8 on the year.
Had the game been closer, would Hughes have changed his approach?
“They tell you when you have a big lead to throw fastballs, but that’s what I do,’’ Hughes said. “A couple of walks in the sixth was really disappointing. I tried to grind and battle.’’
george.king@nypost.com