ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Kevin Brown never gave the overhauled Yankees a chance to see whether their new lineup works.

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays batted around on the struggling 40-year-old in the first inning last night, scoring six runs on their way to an 11-4 win in the debut of the re vamped lineup the Yankees are counting on to pull them out of their funk.

“All the anticipation went out the window because nobody looked at that. Unless you pitch, nothing really matters,” Joe Torre said. “Everything sort of takes a backseat to how you control the game. A game like tonight, we couldn’t control.”

Nick Green had a two-run single, and Travis Phelps and Aubrey Huff also drove in two runs apiece against Brown (0-4), who allowed eight runs and matched a career high by yielding 13 hits in five innings.

Brown was 4-0 with a 1.88 ERA against Tampa Bay last season, but hasn’t pitched well against anyone lately. He has lost seven straight starts dating to last season, the longest skid of his career. His ERA stands at 8.25 after giving up 22 runs and 41 hits in 24 innings this year.

New York’s problems extend beyond Brown, though. Torre said the team is going through the toughest stretch since he took over as manager in 1996.

“But you don’t sit around complaining about it … because certainly with all the success we’ve had we’re not going to have anybody writing us any getwell cards,” Torre said. “Time is spent trying to get it right and trying to get going in the right direction.”

Owner George Steinbrenner, who had been expected at the game, was not seen at the ballpark.

The last-place Devil Rays snapped an eight-game losing streak that matched the second-longest in the majors this season. They were outscored 58-25 during the slide, including a sloppy 6-2 loss to the Yankees that left manager Lou Piniella fuming about the team’s poor play Monday night.

Eight of the first nine batters had hits off Brown, and the early deficit was too much for the Yankees’ sputtering offense to overcome.

Tino Martinez and Jorge Posada hit solo homers off the Devil Rays starter. Derek Jeter drove in the team’s other two runs with a two-out triple off Waechter, who allowed four runs and six hits in seven innings.

Torre unveiled a new lineup with Hideki Matsui in center field, Tony Womack in left and minor league prospect Robinson Cano making his major league debut at second base – a series of moves that bumped Bernie Williams, the regular center fielder since 1993, into a designated hitter’s role. Cano went 0-for-3.

Brown declined to speak with reporters in a mostly empty clubhouse.

“I don’t think there’s any one person responsible player-wise,” Torre said. The manager is always responsible.”