Season starting to come together for Yankees

NEW YORK — On May 4, CC Sabathia pitched six innings of scoreless, six-hit ball in a 7-0 win over the Orioles at Baltimore. Five days later, Aroldis Chapman returned from a 30-game domestic abuse suspension.

The little noted start by Sabathia began a run for the remainder of the rotation that has dovetailed very nicely with the back-of-the-bullpen hydra now known as Done BMC.

The Yankees had won six in a row before they were derailed by the Jays, 8-4, at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night. But they are still 14-7 during their latest run, turning an 8-13 month of April into a 22-23 record and much more promising month of May.

The night before Sabathia pitched at Camden Yards, the Yanks fell to 8-16, matching their worst start since 1984. But the good news for that team was it came back to win 87 games, not good enough to make the playoffs in the pre-Wild Card era, but certainly respectable.

Last year’s Yankees won 87 and captured the first of the two American League Wild Card berths. They had the home-field advantage but lost to the Astros. Here we go again.

“I think it’s a combination of a lot of things,” manager Joe Girardi said about the way the season suddenly turned around. “I think it’s our starting pitching. I think Chapman has added to our bullpen. I think we’re swinging the bats better. When you put those three things together, they easily lead to wins.”

Personnel issues have also mattered. Luis Severino went on the disabled list on May 14 because of a right triceps strain. He was 0-6 with a 7.46 ERA and highly ineffectual in his first seven starts. Ivan Nova was elevated from a relief role and essentially has replaced Severino.

Nova made his fourth start on Wednesday night and again pitched well enough to win, leaving …

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