DIMINSHING RETURN

Yanks — especially Beltran — go silent as A-Rod comes back in second straight loss

CC Sabathia was able to turn back the clock Thursday against the Blue Jays.

No one in the Yankees’ lineup, though, was able to do the same.

Despite the return of Alex Rodriguez — or maybe because of it — the offense stalled in a 3-1 loss to Toronto at Yankee Stadium.

Sabathia was outdueled by Toronto lefty J.A. Happ, who surrendered a first-inning solo homer to Starlin Castro and then shut down the Yankees one day after the Yankees had their sixgame winning streak snapped.

Now, the Yankees embark on a 10-game road trip having slipped back to two games under .500 (22-24).

“We want to score runs,” Brian McCann said. “We don’t want to waste performances like that.”

But that’s just what the Yankees did, and considering how bad they have been for stretches during the season, that may prove costly if they want to stay in the hunt this summer.

Rodriguez, in his first game back from a hamstring injury and two-game rehab stint with Double-A Trenton, went 0-for4, striking out twice. And Carlos Beltran, red-hot filling in for Rodriguez as the DH, whiffed four times as the right fielder.

“I felt good today out there, honestly,” Beltran said. “We know Alex is a guy that can hit [and] can impact the game with one swing of the bat. He just needs to see some games.”

Sabathia, looking for his third straight good outing — and second since returning from the groin strain that sent him to the DL — retired the first seven batters he faced until Didi Gre- gorius misplayed a back-handed attempt of Devon Travis’ grounder with one out in the third.

“It took a bad hop,” Gregorius was quick to point out. “CC was pitching really good. As a shortstop, you want to make every play.”

Girardi was harsher in his assessment, especially considering it was the eighth error for Gregorius on the year.

“It’s a play Didi is capable of making,” the manager said. “He needs to improve. He’s a better fielder than what he has showed these first two months. I expect he will get better as the year goes on.”

But that won’t get this game back. Gregorius’ miscue led to a pair of unearned runs — the only runs Sabathia allowed in his seven innings.

After getting Darwin Barney to fly to center for the second out of the inning, Sabathia stumbled for the only time of the afternoon.

He allowed a single to Jose Bautista, a walk to Josh Donaldson and then a two-run single to left by Edwin Encarnacion that gave the Blue Jays a 2-1 lead.

“The pitch was up a little bit,” McCann said. “He put a good swing on it and that was that.” Indeed. Sabathia gave up just a pair of hits and walked only one before departing for Dellin Betances to start the eighth.

Betances tossed a scoreless eighth, but Aroldis Chapman gave up a run on three singles as Toronto added some insurance in the top of the ninth.

The added run hardly seemed necessary.

Happ, who held the Yankees to one run over six innings on April 13, was just as good Thursday.

Other than Castro’s homer, Happ allowed just two hits and three walks, as the Yankees were limited to four runners in scoring position.

Trailing by a run in the eighth, pinch-hitter Jacoby Ellsbury reached on an infield single and then moved to second on Brett Gardner’s groundout.

But Aaron Hicks flied out and Castro struck out before Roberto Osuna pitched the ninth to earn the save.