LOS ANGELES — Naturally, CC Sabathia smiled when the issue of his final swing of the day — and quite possibly his career — arose on Saturday afternoon. Doubly so when he learned that his lineout to right field traveled at an exit velocity of 97 mph, rather than the 95 mph he believed it to be.

“There we go,” the Yankees’ big lefty said in approval.

“There we go,” too, is what the Yankees could have said about Sabathia’s mound effort. Though he took the loss as the Yankees fell to the Dodgers, 2-1, at Dodger Stadium, the 39-year-old performed well enough against the National League’s best offense that he made it unnecessary to wonder about his immediate future. His immediate future calls for another start, probably Friday against the A’s at home.

“Way better,” said Sabathia, who allowed two runs and five hits in four innings, walking one and striking out seven. “Just felt way more comfortable out there. Hopefully just continue to build off of that.”

“I thought he threw the ball really well,” manager Aaron Boone said.

In his previous start Aug. 18 at Yankee Stadium, his return from the injured list after resting his chronically bothersome right knee, Sabathia permitted four runs in three innings to the Indians, taking the loss in an 8-4 Cleveland victory. This time, Sabathia said, an improved changeup, in particular, gave him more of a chance. The pitch accounted for two of his strikeouts.

It was a third-inning cutter catching too much of the plate that the Dodgers’ Justin Turner smoked to left-center field for a two-run homer, the Dodgers’ only score all day. That Sabathia proceeded to escape a second-and-third jam in that same inning and tallied a 1-2-3 fourth, this was progress for him, as he lowered his ERA to 4.99.

And in the top of the fifth, with a runner on first and two outs, Boone pinch-hit Mike Ford for Sabathia, who will retire upon the conclusion of this season. Sabathia’s career slash line now stands at .207/.220/.306. That might be a wrap in that department. His career pitching numbers, though, still have some tweaking left.