MLB

RALLY IN EIGHTH IS ‘O’ SO SWEEP

Out of the dumpster and back to respectability.

The Yankees’ Hillary Clinton-like free-fall seems over – a conclusion reached not only by results but the manner in which they are winning.

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Yesterday’s comeback victory over the Mariners had a little bit of everything, but mostly the kind of resolve that has defined the Yankees in their stretch of 13 straight postseason appearances.

“We’re playing the same game, but all of a sudden everything fell into place [this week],” Mariano Rivera said after the Yankees scored four runs in the eighth and won their fifth straight, 6-5, at the Sta dium.

The final rally was a fit ting conclusion to a homestand in which the Yanks moved back to .500 and escaped last place in the AL East.

The noise was its loudest with Jose Mo lina’s towering dou ble to right against J.J. Putz (1-2) that scored the go-ahead run, the culmination of an eighth inning in which the Yankees amassed two walks and three hits against three different relievers. You can only pity the pathetic Mariners, a team that was expected to contend in the AL West but has become the league’s punching bag.

Derek Jeter snapped an 0-for-18 skid with his RBI double against Jarrod Washburn in the third, but his walk leading off the eighth against Sean Green was just as big. Bobby Abreu followed with an RBI double on the ninth pitch he saw against lefty Arthur Rhodes, and the Yankees were on their way.

The defining play of the inning may have been Hideki Matsui’s pinch-hit squib at which Putz lunged, fell to the ground and threw it away. Abreu scored and Alex Rodriguez, who had walked, moved within 90 feet of tying the game. Robinson Cano’s sacrifice fly did the trick, with Matsui sneaking to second – making it easier for him to score on Molina’s double between Ichiro Suzuki and Wladimir Balentien.

“Whether or not you like our team, you respect the way we hustle and do that kind of stuff,” Johnny Damon said, referring to Matsui’s tag up.

Rivera’s perfect ninth gave him 12 saves in as many opportunities, sending the Yankees on a seven-game trip through Baltimore and Minnesota with visions of making a serious move in the standings.

“This was probably one of the better games we played all year,” Jeter said. “We pretty much did a lot of things right.”

About the only thing the Yankees didn’t get was a strong start from Chien-Ming Wang, who allowed five earned runs on seven hits and four walks over 61/3 innings. Edwar Ramirez (1-0) held the Mariners scoreless over 12/3 innings before Rivera got the call.

The Mariners chased Wang on Jose Vidro’s two-run single in the seventh that extended their lead to 5-2. It was a second straight stinker for Wang, who allowed seven earned runs the previous Sunday in the Yankees’ loss to the Mets.

Suzuki’s homer leading off the third gave the Mariners their first run before Wang ran into control issues in the fourth.

Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson both walked, helping load the bases with nobody out. Yuniesky Betancourt then delivered an RBI single and the Mariners got another run when Shelley Duncan botched Suzuki’s grounder to first.

Duncan’s fielding misadventures continued when he dropped Jose Lopez’s line drive, but Duncan recovered and fired home for the force and Molina’s peg to second made it an inning-ending double play.

“When you win five games in a row, you feel pretty good,” Joe Girardi said. “Even when we were struggling I had a good feeling about this team, because I knew it was only a matter of time before we played better.”

mpuma@nypost.com