MLB

HEY JOE! MOVE UP CANO, TAKE MITT FROM POSADA

THE Yankees got away with one yesterday. You know, like being in college, not finishing your term paper, and walking into class only to find the teacher absent.

They walked off with a 4-3 victory over the A’s in 12 innings at a sweltering Yankee Stadium, thanks to Jose Molina being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, their sixth straight victory at home. All that does not cover up some significant problems.

Face it, when you have to rely on a “walk-off hit by pitch” to win, your team has some hitting issues.

Here’s two suggestions for Joe Girardi, whose Yankees left an unbelievable 21 men on base and were 3-for-18 with runners in scoring position: Move the hot-hitting Robinson Cano, who equaled a career-high yesterday with four hits, up the lineup. He was batting sixth on a day the top five hitters were an overall 3-for-23.

The three-hole would be a good spot for him right now with Johnny Damon injured.

The other suggestion is a little trickier because he’s been such a warrior for the Yankees, but Jorge Posada, who has had shoulder problems all year, cannot be allowed to catch in close situations when a stolen base could make the difference.

Just such a situation occurred in the ninth with the Yankees clinging to a 3-2 lead and Mariano Rivera on the mound. Pinch-runner Rajai Davis easily stole second base. Ryan Sweeney singled him home to tie the score. Sweeney then took advantage and stole second. Rivera struck out the next three batters to save the Yankees from more ninth-inning pain.

Molina replaced Posada in the top of the 10th. Girardi said Posada took a ball off his right hand earlier in the game and wasn’t right. Posada quickly exited the clubhouse in no mood to talk about any of it in detail.

“I know he wants to stay in, but it’s sore and it’s not fair to put him in there,” Girardi said of Posada’s right hand.

Asked if there was an issue with Posada catching now because of the shoulder, Girardi said, “That’s something we approach every day. He threw the ball better in Toronto and we’ll just look at it every day.”

Girardi has to do what’s right for the Yankees, and limiting Posada’s time behind the plate is the way to go. Until Posada can show he can fire the ball to second on a consistent basis, playing him at catcher puts the Yankees at a disadvantage.

That’s just the way it is. Posada has tried to tough out this injury, but it’s not working. Watching him throw before the game yesterday was not pretty. He should see more time at first and DH until he can throw well on a consistent basis. Of course, the Yankees are over-run right now with first basemen and designated hitters.

As for Cano, don’t you want to put your hottest hitter third when big hits are few and far between? Cano is batting .333 in July and is a lifetime .337 hitter after the All-Star break.

“I felt good, today I got lucky, they didn’t catch it,” Cano said. He’s been blistering the ball at fielders lately.

With Damon out, Cano could hit third and Alex Rodriguez (0-for-5 with many boos) could bat in his customary fourth spot. Or Cano could be moved into the second spot in the lineup and put Abreu back to third, hitting in front of A-Rod, something Rodriguez prefers because Abreu takes so many pitches.

When I asked Girardi about all this, he did not commit to anything, which is his nature, but he has his eyes wide open, nothing is set in stone.

“Robby Cano, when he’s swinging the bat the way he’s capable of, you can put him anywhere,” Girardi said.

Cano needs to move up the lineup ladder.

kevin.kernan@nypost.com