MLB

BANGED UP YANKS MAULED BY TIGERS

How about just putting the whole stinking team on the disabled list?

Disabled, disengaged and disappointing. There you have the Yankees, in a nutshell, as they wallow below .500.

On a night the Yankees were sending Phil Hughes to the DL, Andy Pettitte got a “D” for his performance and later the “L” in a 6-2 loss to the Tigers at the Stadium.

At least Pettitte didn’t leave with an injury. The lefty merely was battered for six innings, surrendering home runs to Marcus Thames and Placido Polanco, helping the Tigers win their second straight to begin this three-game series.

The Yanks (14-15) are already without horses Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada and now have one of their ponies, the struggling Hughes (right oblique strain), on the disabled list alongside them.

At the plate, the Yanks went meekly against Jeremy Bonderman (2-2), who pitched seven straight scoreless innings after surrendering two runs in the first. The Yanks only managed two hits after the first inning.

“Obviously I think we’re capable of scoring a lot more runs,” Joe Girardi said. “You’ve got to find a way to get it done.”

Pettitte (3-3) had a second straight foul performance, surrendering five earned runs on seven hits over six innings with a walk and three strikeouts. Pettitte was also the Yankees’ losing pitcher on Friday in Cleveland, where he allowed five runs over five innings.

“[The Tigers] have a strong lineup and definitely have a strong right-handed hitting lineup,” Pettitte said. “They made adjustments throughout the course of the game and I didn’t make the right adjustments.”

If the Yankees are going to avoid a sweep tonight, they’ll need Ian Kennedy to fare much better than Pettitte and Hughes. The latter lasted 32/3 innings and allowed six runs in Tuesday’s 6-4 loss.

Polanco’s homer leading off the sixth last night put the Yankees in a 4-2 hole. It was the fourth homer allowed by Pettitte in his last two starts after allowing only one in his first 292/3 innings to start the season. The Tigers added a run in the inning on Carlos Guillen’s RBI dribbler that Alberto Gonzalez bobbled with his bare hand.

Pettitte was sailing until Thames unloaded for a two-run homer in the fifth that put the Tigers ahead, 3-2. Edgar Renteria singled with one out before Thames (who began the night batting .182 with one homer) reached the netting behind the left-field fence.

Polanco finished as the Tigers’ offensive star, leading off the eighth against Kyle Farnsworth with his second homer of the night, and the Tigers’ third blast of the game.

Detroit moved within 2-1 on Renteria’s RBI ground out in the second. Magglio Ordonez walked leading off the inning and Miguel Cabrera singled. Guillen’s sacrifice bunt moved runners to second and third for Renteria.

The Yankees produced two runs in the first inning after loading the bases with nobody out. Jason Giambi’s sacrifice fly scored a run before Derek Jeter barely avoided Ivan Rodriguez’s tag at the plate on Melky Cabrera’s single.

Johnny Damon doubled and Jeter singled leading off the inning before Bobby Abreu walked. Bonderman finally got Hideki Matsui to fly out – without a run scoring – helping keep the damage minimal.

“You have guys out, it’s going to hurt you,” Pettitte said. “But it’s the same old story. Everybody has injuries and nobody is going to feel sorry for you.”

mpuma@nypost.com