Brian Bruney isn’t launching a campaign to keep his eighth-inning job.
The inconsistent Yankee reliever yesterday stopped short of saying he’d welcome a new role, but also made it known he wouldn’t lose sleep if manager Joe Girardi were to make Phil Hughes the team’s primary eighth-inning option.
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“Hughes is throwing extremely well,” Bruney told The Post before the Yankees defeated Seattle, 4-2, at the Stadium. “But the rest of our bullpen is [also] throwing extremely well. If they want to throw anybody in the eighth inning, it’s fine. I don’t care. I’m not here to be the eighth-inning guy and worry about that.”
Girardi last night used Alfredo Aceves and Phil Coke, who combined for a perfect eighth to protect the Yankees’ two-run lead. Hughes was in the bullpen behind Coke and would have entered to face Jose Lopez had a runner reached base.
Bruney has a 5.79 ERA in six appearances since returning from the disabled list two weeks ago. His rough outing against the Mariners on Tuesday — he allowed two runs in the eighth inning for a blown save — followed a shaky appearance Sunday night in which he walked two batters in the eighth, forcing Girardi to use Mariano Rivera for a four-out save against the Mets.
All the while, Hughes has dominated. The right-hander has gone six appearances, a stretch of 8 1/3 innings, without allowing a run. That included a perfect seventh inning on Tuesday in which Hughes needed only nine pitches.
Girardi said Bruney will remain the “eighth-inning guy” despite his inconsistency.
“He’s had success in that role and he’s struggling a little bit right now,” Girardi said. “I know he doesn’t have the track record of a [Mark Teixeira] or an Alex [Rodriguez] or some of the other players we have, but we didn’t panic with them, and we’re not going to panic with Brian Bruney.”
Nevertheless, Bruney says he just wants to continue to get the ball, regardless of the inning.
“I can sit here and be 100-percent honest and say I don’t care what inning I pitch,” Bruney said. “It does not matter to me.
“[Rivera] is throwing the ninth inning — we know that. Anything else does not concern me.”
mpuma@nypost.com