MLB

TEIXEIRA TAKES ‘SMALL STEP’ TO ENDING SLUMP

Mark Teixeira’s struggles have been well-chronicled, and though the Yankees first baseman hit a pair of solo homers last night, he failed in a key spot again.

With runners on first and second with one out in the bottom of the ninth and the Yankees trailing the Red Sox, 6-4, Teixeira had a chance to tie — or win — the game.

TONIGHT’S PREVIEW: Red Sox at Yankees

But Teixeira struck out swinging against Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon.

“You hate seeing Papelbon out there,” Teixeira said. “We can’t seem to figure him out. His ball was moving good tonight.”

After Teixeira’s strikeout, the Yanks failed to score and lost their fourth straight to the Sox.

Prior to that, however, Teixeira did show signs of busting out of his season-long slump.

He blasted a solo homer in the fifth, right after Johnny Damon’s two-run shot, and then added another one to lead off the eighth, which brought the Yankees within two runs.

“I didn’t miss those pitches,” Teixeira said, who now has five homers on the year. “Tonight, I got two to drive. I hope this is a small step to getting back to being me.”

The Yanks certainly could use that — and so could Teixeira, who has heard plenty of boos from The Bronx crowd.

“I’m booing myself whenever I make an out,” Teixeira said. “I’m here to drive in runs, and I haven’t been doing driving in runs. You don’t hit .180 by hitting a lot of pitches.”

As for his struggles with runners on base, which continued last night, Teixeira said: “It’s just a small sample. It’s going to get a lot better.”

The Yanks would like that to happen soon.

dan.martin@nypost.com