shamikayc

Three of the four major-league leaders in RBIs going into this weekend — Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Nick Swisher, Josh Hamilton — had something fantastically important in common.

Slugging outfielders Ethier (Dodgers), Swisher (Yankees) and Hamilton (Rangers) are set to become free agents this winter, meaning they’re in their so-called walk years. The otherworldly Kemp is signed to the Dodgers long-term — he’s just in a leap year.

It’s human nature for players to have career years on the brink of a massive payday. They have a few million reasons to increase their preparation, up their intensity, tough out a minor injury, etc. Carl Crawford in 2010 and Jose Reyes in 2011 immediately come to mind.

The walk-year bump is a useful trend for fantasy managers to exploit. Here’s a look at some of the lesser lights of the 2013 free-agent class worth a pickup:

Starting pitchers

Let’s say prime-age strikeout artists Zack Greinke and Cole Hamels aren’t for sale. There are a number of attractive arms on the next tier.

Don’t let the home-run numbers scare you off the Rangers’ Colby Lewis. As an extreme fly-ball pitcher working in a bandbox, it comes with the territory — he allowed a league-leading 35 last year. But with a slight luck correction, dependable run support, a strong K rate and walk numbers approaching nil, he’s a savvy buy.

The Nationals’ Edwin Jackson (who has 26 whiffs through 25-plus innings by featuring a devastating slider) and the Marlins’ Anibal Sanchez will pile up strikeouts while minimizing ERA damage in what appear to be pitchers’ parks. ERA front-runners Kyle Lohse (Cardinals) and Joe Saunders (D’backs) have been more lucky than good so far, but it doesn’t mean you can’t ride it.

Outfielders

The Michael Bourn Legacy — on basepaths this summer. The Braves leadoff man has hiked up his walks, making 70 steals a possibility. Carlos Lee is a forgotten War Caballo, on pace for 110 RBIs and a candidate for a work-release from his term in Houston.

Crawford’s elbow injury is medicine for Cody Ross owners: The pull-happy Red Sox righty can challenge 30 homers taking aim at the Green Monster. The Rays’ B.J. Upton is the most dissed 20-30 guy in the league. The Giants’ Melky Cabrera is the most covert 20-30 threat in the league, and he might hit .300 to boot.

Catchers

Mike Napoli has launched another 30-homer season in Texas. See if you can pry away Diamondbacks backstop Miguel Montero while his early-season slump lingers. The mirage is his .250 slugging percentage at Arizona’s generous Chase Field — that figure should double.

Russell Martin, worth more in an on-base league than one with straight batting average, was nursing a .118 average with runners on. A reversion there will produce an RBI windfall in the potent Yankees lineup.

jlehman@nypost.com

Nick Swisher, Andre Ethier, Josh Hamilton, Hamilton, Matt Kemp, Carl Crawford, Dodgers, Zack Greinke, Cole Hamels, Michael Bourn Legacy, Rangers, the Dodgers, Edwin Jackson, Colby Lewis, Jose Reyes, Anibal Sanchez, Miguel Montero, Kyle Lohse

Nypost.com

WASHINGTON -- The US economy slowed its pace of expansion in the first three months of the year compared to the prior quarter, as government spending fell and a buildup in inventories eased, data revealed Friday.

Gross domestic product (GDP), the broadest measure of all the goods and services produced in an economy, grew at an inflation-adjusted annual rate of 2.2 percent in the first quarter of 2012, the Commerce Department said. It was the agency's first reading of growth for the quarter.

The figure came in below expectations. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had forecast first-quarter GDP would increase at a 2.6 percent rate.

In the final three months of 2011, the economy grew at a three percent rate.

Commerce said the slowing expansion "primarily reflected a deceleration in private inventory investment and a downturn in nonresidential fixed investment," a category that includes spending on structures, computers and industrial equipment.

A build up in inventories helped drive the expansion at the end of 2011, accounting for more than half of the overall growth for the fourth quarter. In the first three months of this year, increased inventories contributed only about a quarter of the total gain in GDP.

Meanwhile, non-residential fixed investment fell by 2.1 percent during the first quarter, compared to 5.2 percent gain in the prior period.

Government spending declined in the first quarter, falling by three percent. That comes after a 4.2 percent drop in public expenditures in the fourth quarter of 2012.

In a bright spot in the report, consumers continued to spend at a healthy pace. Personal consumption expenditures rose 2.9 percent during the quarter -- the best gain since the fourth quarter of 2010.

However, shoppers faced higher costs as price index for personal consumption expenditures rose 2.4 percent last quarter compared to a 1.2 percent gain in the prior period.

Similarly, the price index for gross domestic purchases, which measures prices paid by US residents, also rose 2.4 percent for the quarter.

US stock-index futures trimmed slight gains after the report.

government spending, Commerce Department, Dow Jones, inventories, fixed investment, economy, domestic product, inventory investment

Nypost.com

Mets starter Mike Pelfrey said he is “99 percent” certain he will need to have season-ending Tommy John surgery.

The right-handed pitcher had an MRI exam that revealed a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right (pitching) elbow. He will fly to Birmingham, Ala., to consult with Dr. James Andrews, and is expected to undergo surgery.

“I’ll go down and see Dr. Andrews personally and we’ll go from there. But there’s a 99 percent chance it’s going to happen,’’ said Pelfrey. “Obviously it’s frustrating. I’ve never been hurt. It’s only been three days and I don’t know what I’m doing with myself.’’

MIKE PELFREY
Stellar season likely over.

Pelfrey’s greatest qualities have been his durable nature and stature as a workhorse. But now, in the midst of a great start to the season, he faces the likelihood he will be shelved for the rest of the campaign.

“The prognosis was not very good,’’ manager Terry Collins said. “Right now [he’s] pitching as good as I’ve seen him pitch in person. To have his sinker back, to have command of his curveball again, everything was working and to have this happen is a true shame not only for him but for us.’’

Pelfrey’s 2.29 ERA is the best in the Mets’ rotation, and his bounce-back performance from a disappointing 2011 season is a huge reason the Amazin’s are 11-8 after yesterday’s 3-2 win over the Marlins.

Pelfrey was presented the option of an injection of platelet-rich plasma (PRP), but when faced with its slim chance of success and a serious threat of injury to his shoulder, opted against it.

“The doctor said I have a tear,” Pelfrey said. “He brought up my options, and they brought up the PRP, which is the injection, and put it at a 10 to 20 percent chance it works. So there was an 80 percent chance I was still going to have surgery. I thought that was best case for me and we just go ahead and do it.

“It was explained ... I could alter my mechanics and end up hurting my shoulder. My shoulder feels great, and that’s the last thing I want. All the statistics, 94 percent you can fix the elbow but when you get to the shoulder it’s a gray area. I think that would be the last thing that I want.’’

Pelfrey is earning $5.6875 million this season, and though he isn’t set to hit free-agency until after 2013, he’s arbitration-eligible one more time. It remains to be seen whether the Mets choose to non-tender him in December, rather than pay him a salary sure to be at least in that same vicinity again.

Righty Chris Schwinden, 25, will start tonight at Colorado. He was 0-2 with a 4.71 ERA with the Mets last year, but is 2-2 with a 2.05 ERA in four starts for Triple-A Buffalo this year.

To make room for Schwinden, the team optioned lefty Robert Carson to Double-A Binghamton.

brian.lewis@nypost.com

Mets starter Mike Pelfrey, James Andrews, ulnar collateral ligament, Tommy John, manager Terry Collins, PRP

Nypost.com

BOSTON — Tim Thomas had every reason to be confident heading into overtime of Game 7 in Boston's first-round playoff series against the Washington Capitals.

After all, the Bruins won three seventh games in last year's run to the Stanley Cup title.

"I'm probably in shock," Thomas said Wednesday night after Joel Ward beat him at 2:57 of overtime to lead the Capitals to a 2-1 victory over Boston and give Washington a spot in the Eastern Conference semifinals. "I really believed that we were going to win.

"I really had a deep feeling that this wasn't the end of the road for us, that this wasn't going to be the last game of the season."

Thomas made 26 saves for Boston, which was hoping to become the first team to repeat as Stanley Cup champions since the Detroit Red Wings in 1997-98. Tyler Seguin scored the Bruins' goal as rookie Braden Holtby stopped 31 shots for Washington in the seventh one-goal game of the series.

Matt Hendricks also scored for the Capitals, who barely made the playoffs this year after finishing atop the Eastern Conference in each of the previous two seasons - and winning just one postseason series combined.

"It's a nice sense of accomplishment to be able to get over the hump," Capitals defenseman Karl Alzner said. "It's nice to turn the page, and maybe we're writing a new script."

It was the first time in NHL history that a playoff series had seven games determined by one goal. Four of the games went to overtime, and two others were decided with less than two minutes left in regulation.

"It was very close," Boston captain Zdeno Chara said. "We shouldn't be disappointed in what we did this season. We just came up short."

Hendricks scored midway through the first period, and Seguin tied it in the second. It stayed that way through the third, with Washington killing off a penalty in the final 3 minutes to send the game into overtime.

Patrice Bergeron had a chance to win it in the first minute of the extra period, but he couldn't get off a solid shot from Holtby's right. Two minutes later, the Capitals broke into the Boston zone with former Bruin Mike Knuble leading a 2-on-1.

Knuble shot, and Thomas left the rebound out where Ward could reach it with his backhander.

"When I saw the puck there, I just took a whack at it," Ward said. "It was a sense of relief, a great accomplishment."

The building fell silent as the Capitals celebrated just their third postseason series win since a run to the Stanley Cup finals in 1998. Some fans littered the ice with debris, but the Bruins waited patiently for the postgame handshake.

Thomas, the reigning Vezina and Conn Smythe Trophy winner, gave Holtby a tap on the shoulder and said, "Great job, kid."

"I'm proud of our team against the defending Stanley Cup champs," said Holtby, a third-stringer making his playoff debut because of injuries to Tomas Vokoun and Michal Neuvirth. "I don't get rattled. It's one of the things I learned: To be able to get to this level you have to be like that."

The Capitals earned more than 100 points in the previous three seasons, leading the NHL with 121 in 2010, but had little to show for it once the postseason started. They won just two series in three years and have not made it out of the East semis since 1998, when they made it to the Stanley Cup finals but were swept by Detroit.

This year's regular season wasn't as successful, with coach Bruce Boudreau fired in November and replaced by Dale Hunter.

But the playoffs have a chance to be even better.

Waiting until the final games of the season to clinch a playoff berth and getting bumped up to a No. 7 seed on the final day, the Capitals won three times in Boston - they also won Games 2 and 5. Their second-round opponent won't be determined until after Game 7s Thursday night between Ottawa and the New York Rangers, and Florida and New Jersey.

"I'm not going to watch the games," Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin said. "I'm just going to chill and control my moods and control emotions."

The Bruins needed an unprecedented three Game 7s to win the Cup last year, including the 4-0 victory over Vancouver that gave the Original Six franchise its first title since 1972. Thomas also had a shutout in the Game 7 win over Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference finals.

But that streak ended midway through the first period when Carlson shot from right point and Hendricks tipped it past Thomas' right shoulder to give the Capitals a 1-0 lead.

The Bruins tied it with 5:33 left in the second when Holtby kicked Andrew Ference's shot wide to his left to Johnny Boychuk, whose shot trickled through the goalie's pads and into the crease. Seguin dove for it, with two defenders crashing on top of him, and swiped it into the net to make it 1-1.

Stanley Cup, Boston, Boston, Boston, Tim Thomas, Thomas, Thomas, Braden Holtby, Bruins, Capitals, Washington, Washington, Capitals, Stanley Cup finals, Eastern Conference, Stanley Cup, Joel Ward, postseason series, postseason series, the Bruins, the Bruins, playoff series, playoff series, Tyler Seguin, Seguin, Eastern Conference, Detroit Red Wings

Nypost.com

All horses appear in post position order

FIRST-5 1/2f; $50,000; mdn spcl wt; 2YO

PN Horse, Wt.

Jockey

Last 3

Trainer

Odds

1 Fitz Is Dancing(L),118

G Saez

9-x-x

Short

30-1

2 Alls Im Saying(L),118

M Pedroza

4-x-x

McEnee

10-1

3 Joha(LA),118

JLeparoux

2-x-x

Maker

3-1

4 I'mgonnaknckt(L),118

M Torres

6-5-x

Short

15-1

5 Undrafted(L),118

J Garcia

x-x-x

Ward

7-2

6 Peteizum(L),118

S Sellers

x-x-x

DiVito

8-1

7 Good Tickled(L),118

JCastellan

x-x-x

Miller

6-1

8 Plime Blank(LA),111

LBethncrt

x-x-x

Minnock

20-1

9 Brazilian Court(L),118

KDesormx

x-x-x

Hess

10-1

10 Sunset Time(L),115

E Trujillo

x-x-x

Ward

9-2

11 Samurai Zip(L),118

BHrnndzJr

x-x-x

Rdsevch

20-1

12 Skilltopaythblls(L),118

A Pusac

9-x-x

Short

30-1

SECOND-5 1/2f; $30,000; cl($25,000); 4up; (f&m)

PN Horse, Wt.

Jockey

Last 3

Trainer

Odds

1 Holy Royal(LA),118

RAlbarado

6-1-10

Vance

3-1

2 Angels' Share(LA),118

SBrdgmhn

3-2-2

Asmssen

7-2

3 Easy Ashley(LA),118

J Garcia

2-6-2

Ward

5-2

4 Right to Rule(LA),118

JCastanon

4-1-2

Lauer

6-1

5 Looky Here(LA),118

E Baird

8-9-1

Rogers

4-1

6 Serving Time(LA),118

J Graham

5-3-1

Speckert

8-1

7 Superstardom(L),118

J Court

4-1-8

Lay

15-1

THIRD-1 1/16m; $44,000; cl($50,000); 4up

PN Horse, Wt.

Jockey

Last 3

Trainer

Odds

1 Cool C Note(LA),118

BHrnndzJr

7-1-6

Tomlinsn

5-1

2 Forestry Type(L),118

E Baird

3-1-6

Bennett

6-1

3 Afleet's Secret(L),118

JCastanon

4-4-2

Cheeks

20-1

4 Cross Village(LA),118

S Sellers

6-2-9

Mason

5-1

5 Strong Appeal(LA),118

J Graham

6-6-3

Thrnbry

30-1

6 Dark Cove(LA),120

JLeparoux

4-4-1

McPeek

6-5

7 BellbytheRidg(LA),118

JCastellan

3-10-3

Maker

5-2

FOURTH-1 1/16m(T); $50,000; mdn spcl wt; 3YO; (f)

PN Horse, Wt.

Jockey

Last 3

Trainer

Odds

1 LadyKierkegard(L),120

G Gomez

6-3-x

Clement

7-2

2 Double Jackpot(L),120

A Garcia

x-x-x

McGeyII

12-1

3 Aunt Pat(L),120

JLeparoux

5-x-x

Clement

4-1

4 Bourbonesque(L),120

R Vazquez

6-3-5

Lukas

20-1

5 Street Fantasy ,120

M Mena

10-2-4

Smith

15-1

6 Stravlova(LA),120

M Pedroza

9-x-x

Dyer

30-1

7 Chokoloskee(L),120

J Graham

8-6-x

Bindner

30-1

8 Cypress Pond(LA),120

M Cruz

4-8-x

Arnold

15-1

9 Francisca(LA),120

JCastellan

3-7-11

Stidham

6-1

10 Hallnor(L),120

RNaprvnk

9-x-x

Attfield

10-1

11 Irish Mission(LA),120

JVelazquz

2-6-5

Frostad

3-1

12 Summer Flirt(LA),120

E Prado

6-x-x

Mott

10-1

13 Big Debbie(LA),120

J Enriquez

3-4-6

Michael

30-1

14 SpecialgirlsCTT(L),120

D Sarvis

6-6-5

Hack

30-1

FIFTH-1 1/8m; $35,000; cl($50,000); 3YO

PN Horse, Wt.

Jockey

Last 3

Trainer

Odds

1 WaywardSailr(LA),118

JCastellan

6-9-1

Maker

3-1

2 Sky Alert(LA),118

M Pedroza

5-3-5

Foley

10-1

3 Red Jack(L),118

J Court

10-3-11

Lukas

12-1

4 Quiet Man(LA),118

C Lanerie

1-1-5

Kennelly

3-1

5 Italo(L),118

J Garcia

6-7-1

Ward

5-2

6 VeeOneRotate(LA),118

JLeparoux

5-5-3

McPeek

2-1

SIXTH-1 1/8m(T); $54,000; alw; 4up; (f&m)

PN Horse, Wt.

Jockey

Last 3

Trainer

Odds

1 Nandira(LA),118

RNaprvnk

8-5-5

Attfield

5-1

2 City of Trix(L),118

M Pedroza

3-7-2

Slovis

30-1

3 EyeCandyAnni(LA),118

R Vazquez

6-1-x

Dyer

20-1

4 Akris Queen(LA),118

J Bravo

6-1-7

Terranov

6-1

5 Gunforhome(L),118

JLeparoux

1-5-2

Lopresti

5-1

6 HereOuiGAgn(LA),118

SBrdgmhn

7-2-2

Pessin

12-1

7 Melody Dawn(LA),118

E Prado

2-6-5

Motion

7-2

8 Moon(L),118

J Court

1-1-4

Oliver

30-1

9 Vee(LA),118

RAlbarado

3-7-3

Lovell

10-1

10 Sex Appeal(L),118

G Gomez

3-3-9

McGgeyII

9-2

11 Ms.Turducken(LA),118

J Graham

5-1-2

Specker

30-1

12 Janicellaine(LA),118

G Saez

5-2-6

Attfield

6-1

SEVENTH-1 1/16m; $62,000; alw opt clm; 4up; (f&m)

PN Horse, Wt.

Jockey

Last 3

Trainer

Odds

1 Don'tTellSoph(LA),118

G Gomez

3-7-5

Sims

5-1

2 Bk'sSis'Birthdy(L),118

J Court

2-3-5

Thmpsn

30-1

3 Dawn Lane ,118

JCastanon

6-5-1

Habeeb

20-1

4 It's Tea Time(LA),118

A Garcia

6-9-3

Arnold

6-1

5 In the Slips(LA),118

E Prado

6-4-3

Motion

12-1

6 SterlingMadam(L),118

J Graham

3-1-1

Amoss

5-1

7 Bizzy Caroline(LA),118

M Cruz

2-2-8

McPeek

3-1

8 Smart Penny(LA),118

JCastellan

1-1-1

Attfield

9-2

9 Karlie'sHolidy(LA),118

RAlbarado

4-7-1

McPeek

20-1

10 ArtemusKittn(LA),120

JLeparoux

1-2-1

Maker

7-2

EIGHTH-1 1/2m(T); $150,000; 4up; (f&m)

Grey Goose Bewitch Stakes

PN Horse, Wt.

Jockey

Last 3

Trainer

Odds

1 Here to Win(LA),121

J Bravo

1-3-8

McLaghln

5-2

2 ShmmrngMmnt(L),119

RAlbarado

6-1-7

Abbott

9-2

3 Senada(LA),121

JCastellan

7-3-5

Tagg

4-1

4 WoodfordBell(LA),119

JLeparoux

4-3-4

Nihei

3-1

5 Upperline(LA),119

J Graham

2-2-7

Stidham

4-1

6 Distorted Alice(L),119

V Lebron

1-4-5

Lestingi

50-1

7 Hemera(L),119

M Pedroza

5-4-6

Drchenk

50-1

8 Thislilsoulfmn(LA),119

G Gomez

7-2-4

Attfield

5-1

NINTH-7f; $17,000; mdn cl($20,000); 3up

PN Horse, Wt.

Jockey

Last 3

Trainer

Odds

1 Winds of Dubai(L),116

M Mena

9-7-x

Peery

20-1

2 Coolride(L),122

M Pedroza

x-x-x

Rangel

12-1

3 Ray From Clay ,115

LBethncrt

4-3-2

Mills

8-1

4 AffirmedWrrr(LA),116

JLeparoux

2-6-8

McPeek

2-1

5 BoosterRockt(LA),116

J Court

8-5-9

Medran

10-1

6 Shootdeworx(LA),116

BHrnndzJr

5-x-x

Wilkes

8-1

7 Spy(LA),122

R Vazquez

3-6-6

Ward

12-1

8 Shah En Shah(LA),122

J Vargas

12-7-10

Shelley

50-1

9 McKeans Boy(LA),116

NSolomon

9-9-4

Armenta

15-1

10 Zellers(L),116

GKuntzwlr

3-6-6

Lukas

4-1

11 CashandCoks(LA),116

JCastanon

6-x-x

Mott

5-1

12 Speed Avenue(LA),116

A Garcia

8-9-8

McPeek

20-1
Nypost.com

Trash cans were not threatened. The Devils’ survival — and future — is.

Coach Pete DeBoer usually doesn’t say much to his team after losses, but he says he made an exception after the Devils fell to the brink of elimination, shut out 3-0 Saturday by the Panthers in Florida.

“I did address them at the airport before we got on the plane,” DeBoer said before refusing to divulge the tone or content of his remarks to his 102-pointers who trail their first-round best-of-7 series 3-2.

The word is that DeBoer was civil, told the team to rest up with a day off yesterday and get ready to win two games, starting with Game 6 tomorrow at Prudential Center.

It was not a Larry Robinson trash-can throwing tirade that sparked the 2000 Devils to a comeback from a 3-1 deficit to the Flyers.

Instead, DeBoer said he’ll be relying on the Devils to rediscover the game they showed in Newark in Game 4, when they shut out the Panthers.

“We’re 60 minutes removed from one of our best games of the season, Game 4,” DeBoer said. “We’re not changing anything. All we have to do is raise our level.”

DeBoer said adversity has brought out the best in his team.

“Whenever we’ve been in a tough spot this year, we’ve come out swinging,” DeBoer said.

This spot qualifies. They’ve gone straight to summer the last four times they’ve faced elimination, including three exits in Newark. The only time they’ve staved off elimination since their last Cup in 2003, they went out in the next game.

The Devils will need consecutive victories, which they haven’t accumplished in 28 consecutive playoffs game. They stand 2-5 all time in series they trailed 3-2, coming back to win against those 2000 Flyers and 2001 Leafs.

They’re home, but they’re only 4-8 in the playoffs in Newark.

Martin Brodeur and Zach Parise could be playing their final games as Devils. Brodeur wants to return next season at age 40. Parise also would like to stay as an unrestricted free agent, but the reality is that he may find greener pastures and wallets elsewhere.

“Career-wise, I don’t feel like it’s going to be the last of it. Opportunity-wise, you never know,” Brodeur said. “Even [if] I do decide to come back, who knows what kind of position we’re going to be in at this time next year? I am in the position where we’re able to stay alive in the playoffs, and want to do as much as I can.

“It’s in the back of my head because of the chance with a team I’ve really enjoyed all year. I just want to keep this going. Regardless of what the future will bring me, that’s irrelevant, now.”

Parise’s situation is different than Brodeur’s. Parise is likely to be among the most-sought unrestricteds of July. He says that’s not in his head.

“It’s blocked out. I don’t think about it,” Parise said. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

They can postpone that decision tomorrow.

* Turns out, The Post was right all along. Using their stars to kill penalties is killing the Devils now. Even the coach says so. In the final weeks of the season, as the Devils were setting the record for most-effective penalty-killing in NHL history, DeBoer admitted he was talked into using his top forwards for that most-exhausting job in hockey. They hoped they’d benefit more from their first extra day between games in this series than their opponents.

The Devils have to do something about the Panthers’ attack on Jersey’s right defense, a tactic that Florida is finally taking to heart. In Game 5, the one Ilya Kovalchuk said would probably decide the series, the Devils opened well, but saw the Panthers grab the momentum by regular and threatening pressure deep on their left wing, where the Devils’ righties work.

mark.everson@nypost.com

The Devils, Devils, the Devils, Zach Parise, Panthers, Pete DeBoer, DeBoer, DeBoer

Nypost.com

St. John’s head coach Kim Barnes Arico has been hired to coach the Michigan women’s basketball team.

Barnes Arico coached the Red Storm for the past 10 seasons and guided them to a second-place finish in the Big East this past year, including a victory at Connecticut in February that ended the Huskies’ 99-game home winning streak.

The 41-year-old coach, who has the most wins in program history and was BIg East coach of the year this season, built St. John’s into a perennial NCAA tournament team.

Kim Barnes Arico, the Red Storm, Big East

Nypost.com

Who feels like celebrating?

The Red Sox will honor the 100-year anniversary of Fenway Park today with the Yankees in town, but the mood around the team has felt more like a funeral.

Boston has lost three straight since new manager Bobby Valentine alienated his players by publicly questioning the hustle of Kevin Youkilis and comes into the three-game set with their rivals in last place in the AL East at 4-8.

“You knew he was going to stir things up; that’s his nature,” YES Network analyst Ken Singleton said of Valentine. “It doesn’t surprise me, some of those things are going to happen with Bobby V. Things are going to get shaken up one way or the other. One thing I do feel is that when the manager loses the trust of his players, it’s very tough to get it back. They are really going to have to win a lot of games and that gets every one feeling good.”

AP

ROUGH START: Bobby Valentine’s Red Sox are in last place as Yankees arrive in Boston today.

Youkilis defended himself, as did Dustin Pedroia, who said “that’s not the way we go about our stuff around here.”

How do the Red Sox go about their stuff?

“The thing I had a problem with is if the manager has a problem with a player and is not producing on the field the way you want him to, or is not hustling, then it is a one-on-one conversation behind the scenes,” said MLB Network analyst Kevin Millar, who played for the Red Sox from 2003-’05. Millar will be on the MLB Network’s “Intentional Talk” live from Fenway at 1 p.m. before joining the pregame ceremony.

“I wasn’t a big fan of Valentine going public with that ... And in the future do it privately, so it doesn’t snowball on the team like this.”

the Yankees have not had any off-the-field controversies yet, but can relate to the Red Sox’s on-the-field struggles. Boston has had to deal with their woeful bullpen after closer Andrew Bailey had thumb surgery just before the season that will sideline him for the four months. The Yankees’ problem has been getting the ball to their bullpen.

“That’s the Yankees’ weakness,” Millar said of their shaky starting rotation. “If there is a loose piece for the Yankees it’s definitely not their bullpen or their offense, either. You hear about age and all that, but I don’t want to hear that. Derek Jeter is Derek Jeter, period. The Yankees are building for a championship, not to win 93-94 games, and they have to figure out who are the guys they want starting in those playoff games.”

Reinforcements are on the way, though. Michael Pineda, who is recovering from a sore shoulder, and the un-retired Andy Pettitte are expected to join the rotation sometime in May, which means two members of the Yankees rotation could be forced out. Phil Hughes and Freddy Garcia, who starts tomorrow against the Red Sox, are the most likely to receive a demotion, but have a few more starts to prove themselves irreplaceable.

“When Pettitte’s ready, he’s going to replace somebody, “ Singleton said. “I think they do feel the pressure. . .. I was willing to give Garcia a pass in his first start in Baltimore because he’s a touch-and-feel pitcher and it was real cold that night. His next start at Yankee Stadium, maybe not so much, but he did progress a little bit.”

jterranova@nypost.com

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Reality trumps math in the Devils’ desperate world. Two more losses send them home for the summer, but they regard tonight as their rational hope for survival.

“From now on, they’re all Game 7s,” said goalie Martin Brodeur, expected to return for his NHL record 174th straight start after he was yanked for the first time since 2006 in Game 3’s 4-3 loss.

“We have to win [Game 4]. We don’t want to give them the chance to close out a series [at home],” Brodeur said.

They have lost two straight to the Panthers after winning the series opener. Though a 2-1 series deficit is not insurmountable, the size of the task is illustrated by New Jersey’s 3-12 survival rate (20 percent) from that hole.

The Devils fell behind in this series for the first time with Tuesday’s 4-3 loss in Newark, demoralizing because they blew the three-goal lead built in the opening 6:16 of play.

Blown leads became the Devils’ bugaboo this season, and now they could sink them again. Unable to survive prosperity, they must conquer from desperation or fail to win a playoff round for the fifth straight season.

The Devils lost 16 games they led this season, including another three-goal lead against the Panthers on Nov. 21. They opened Game 1 with its first three goals, and managed to hang on after Florida closed to within one. The Panthers took a three-goal lead in Game 2 and held on with an empty-netter after the Devils trimmed the deficit to one.

Then came Game 3, the one that will define this year’s Devils unless they make this their fourth-ever comeback from a 1-2 hole.

“You have to forget or you’ll remember all summer long,” Brodeur said.

The Devils held a strategy meeting after practice yesterday to repair their suddenly ineffective penalty-killing. After setting the NHL record by stopping 89.6 percent of opponents’ power plays in the regular season, the Panthers have gone 6-for-10 in this series, scoring three Tuesday.

The Devils did not seem to know what has gone wrong, aside from the juicy rebounds the Panthers have converted.

“We watch tape and look for tendencies. The reality is that we’re giving up bad bounces. They’re having a little bit of puck luck,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “I don’t see a [reason] to change what we were doing the entire season.”

DeBoer countered what was a mantra among his players, that they refrain from taking penalties.

“We have to stay out of the box,’’ Ilva Kovalchuk said. “We all say it. We have to do it.”

DeBoer said the Devils must not refrain from aggressive play because of the Panthers’ power play prowess.

“We can’t let that paralyze us so that we walk around with pillows on our pads,” DeBoer said. “Our penalty-killing has allowed us to play with an edge and not kill us.

“The answer is getting the penalty-killing back on track.”

The requirement is winning tonight.

mark.everson@nypost.com

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Jennifer Gould Keil

GIMME SHELTER

Yankees pitcher Hiroki Kuroda just found a new place to hang his baseball cap. Kuroda, 37, who has a $10 million, one-year contract with the Bombers, signed a lease to rent a Midtown penthouse on West 52nd Street for $19,750 a month.

The 2,022-square-foot duplex condo is three bedrooms and 3 1/2 bathrooms. It comes with a fireplace, a terrace with an electric BBQ grill, floor-to-ceiling windows and a chef’s kitchen.

Building amenities include a concierge, “meditation garden” and a gym.

Listing broker Adam Taylor of Town declined to comment.

Weisz back on the hunt

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Hiroki Kuroda

Actress Rachel Weisz was spotted checking out a gorgeous $8.5 million East Village townhouse condo at 238 E. Fourth St.

The stylish and modern home has its own garage and was built from scratch. The unit Weisz saw, about to officially hit the market with Town, is a 6,500-square-foot residence with four bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms and a great room with 18-foot ceilings. In addition to two indoor fireplaces, there’s 900 square feet of outdoor space with another fireplace and a grill.

The owners are Sue Hostetler, editor of Art Basel Miami Beach magazine, and her husband, Jon Diamond, a technology entrepreneur.

We had previously reported that Weisz and hubby Daniel Craig were close to buying a condo on Greene Street, but that deal fell through.

Talk of the townhouses

Developer William Rainero is about to list his renovated, landmarked townhouse at 80 Washington Place for $28 million. It’s the former Village home of American composer John Philip Sousa.

Lisa Simonsen of Prudential Douglas Elliman has the listing. Simonsen just hosted a lunch at the Metropolitan Club to welcome broker Sheila O’Brien to her group.

Elsewhere in the Village, developer Michael Fuchs just paid $14.2 million for 26 Downing St., a new-construction townhouse that was listed for $16.95 million. Listing broker Leonard Steinberg of Prudential Douglas Elliman did not return calls.

Mack packin’ up

Real estate mogul Richard Mack, the North America CEO of AREA Property Partners, is putting his 12-room co-op at 730 Park Ave. on the market for $15 million.

The 4,300-square-foot co-op, in a building where the late “60 Minutes” correspondent Mike Wallace lived, comes with two French balconies. Listing broker Lauren Muss of the Corcoran Group declined to comment.

Mack and wife Christine, who co-launched the Creel-Mack upscale accessories company that is expanding into shoe and clothing lines, will soon be moving into their new home in Carnegie Hill — a sprawling, 18,000-square-foot space comprised of two 19th century row houses and a third, 1970s-era building. The residence comes with an indoor/outdoor basketball court. The architecture firm working on the dream home is Leroy Street Studios, and the interior decorator is Aman & Carson.

We hear . . .

That Antonio Ballatore, a winner of HGTV’s “Design Star,” will have his own booth at the Affordable Art Fair, which runs through Sunday at 7 W. 34th St. . . . That on Saturday, Capo Auction will offer some rare Donald Deskey furniture from 1932 that was part of the original Radio City Music Hall interiors. . . . That Christopher Meloni is offering an incentive to potential buyers of his $12 million condo on the 60th floor of the Park Imperial: The buyer will get a new, fully loaded $111,000 2013 Porsche Panamera S Hybrid if the condo goes to contract by June 1.

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