MLB

Yankees have arms to close it out

Advantage, Yankees. Still. Even the most “Sky Is Always Falling” Yankees fan has to understand the Yankees’ arms are better than the Phillies’ going into Game 6 of the World Series tonight at Yankee Stadium.

Forget the Yankees leading the best-of-seven Series 3-2 and needing one more win to grab the franchise’s 27th Series title. Ignore they have two shots at one win in their $1.5 billion living room.

Then focus on what Derek Jeter has been spitting out forever: “It all comes down to pitching. If you pitch, you win. That’s the bottom line.”

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Beginning with tonight’s Pedro Martinez-Andy Pettitte match-up, the Yankees have an advantage on the hill in a meeting of “old goats” — Martinez’s words. Even if Pettitte is going on short rest and the creative Martinez on long rest.

If it goes to Game 7 tomorrow evening it’s CC Sabathia against Cole Hamels or J.A. Happ. Again, the Yankees are better.

Move to the bullpen. Joe Girardi said yesterday he would be able to use Mariano Rivera for multiple innings for the first time since Game 2. The Phillies’ bullpen has been downright ugly. Charlie Manuel didn’t trust Brad Lidge in the ninth inning of Game 5 with a three-run lead after he got spanked in Game 4. Do you think Manuel will have faith in Lidge in The Bronx?

“I know we feel very confident right now,” Nick Swisher said. “We want to take this one.”

Of course, the Phillies aren’t overmatched everywhere. Chase Utley is having an MVP Series with a .333 (6-for-18) average, five homers and eight RBIs. Another homer and he breaks Reggie Jackson’s Series record of five.

“If you don’t execute your pitches on guys in the middle of the lineup, they are usually not singles — they are more than that,” Girardi said of the Phillies’ No. 3 hitter, who homered twice in Game 1 and smacked two in Game 5. “And we have not executed very well on Chase Utley and he has not missed them.”

Jorge Posada says it is up to him and Pettitte to reduce Utley’s comfort level.

“We’re trying to adjust to him and trying to find a way of putting that ball where it’s supposed to be. We have left a lot of pitches in the middle of the plate and he’s put damage on it,” Posada said. “He feels good at the plate. I think we need to really make him feel probably a little bit more uncomfortable and make the pitches where it’s supposed to be.”

Because Mark Teixeira (.105; 2-for-19), Robinson Cano (.167; 3-for-18) and Swisher (.167; 2-for-12) are struggling, the Yankees’ lineup isn’t as deep as it usually is. However, that doesn’t mean Martinez will waltz through it in his second Series appearance. He allowed three runs and six hits in six-plus innings in Game 2.

Alex Rodriguez (.222) has four hits and six RBIs in the last three games. Johnny Damon is hitting .381 (8-for-21), Derek Jeter is at .364 (8-for-22), Jorge Posada is hitting .313 (5-for-16) with five RBIs and the Yankees welcome back Hideki Matsui (.556; 5-for-9) after playing three games in Philly without the DH.

An advantage tonight is Pettitte being left-handed and the way he handled Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez and Utley in Game 3, when they all went 0-for-3 and each fanned twice.

Phils manager Charlie Manuel didn’t sound like a guy who was ready to change his lineup yesterday so expect Utley to hit third, Howard fourth and Ibanez sixth.

Howard doesn’t offer Utley much protection since he takes a .158 (3-for-19) and a dozen strikeouts into tonight’s game.

So, give the Yankees the advantage in the cleanup spot as well.

“It’s a great feeling whenever he is swinging the bat well,” Girardi said of Rodriguez shaking off a 0-for-8 slump at the start of the Series that included six strikeouts. “He seems really relaxed.”

With the pitching mismatches the Yankees have, they should be relaxed and confident.

george.king@nypost.com