You snooze, you lose.
Or maybe Jason Giambi really was awake and just afraid a throw home might produce an uglier result than holding the ball.
Whatever the case, Giambi helped gift-wrap a run for the Red Sox in the fifth inning last night – one more reason, along with an awful performance by Alex Rodriguez, why the Yankees resembled a bunch of bozos in their 7-3 loss to Boston.
With runners on second and third and two outs in the fifth, Jeff Bailey hit a grounder that struck third base, but popped into Rodriguez’s glove. Rodriguez’s throw to first was late, and Giambi watched as Coco Crisp raced across the plate behind Jed Lowrie.
“[The throw] skipped off the grass and I couldn’t get a handle on it to throw it,” Giambi said. “I couldn’t tell whether the umpire called [Bailey] safe or out, but I was looking to throw home. When I reached into my glove I had to stay back to pick it out of the dirt and wasn’t able to . . . make a throw home.”
Crisp said the fact he was “running like Forest Gump” from second base with two outs made the run possible.
Giambi’s held ball signaled the end of Andy Pettitte’s night. The left-hander was replaced with Boston leading 6-2. Brian Bruney entered and retired Kevin Cash for the final out.
The inning had started easily enough for Pettitte, who retired the first two batters, David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis, in succession. But then Jason Bay and Lowrie delivered consecutive singles. Crisp then drilled an RBI single before stealing second, putting him in position for his dash home behind Lowrie on the Bailey grounder.
All would have been forgiven for Giambi with one mighty clout to tie the score a half inning later, but he flied out with two runners on base to end the fifth, part of his 0-for-4 night at the plate.
“We couldn’t drive in that big run,” Giambi said. “All and all we didn’t play a very good game tonight.”
mpuma@nypost.com