Jorge Posada punches out a two-run homer as New York dispatches Cleveland with a 7-4 victory.
By The Associated Press

NEW YORK – Jorge Posada’s two-run homer sparked New York’s six-run sixth inning, and Mike Mussina pitched shutout ball into the seventh as the Yankees completed a four-game sweep of the Cleveland Indians with a 7-4 victory Sunday.

Derek Jeter had three hits and an RBI and Alfonso Soriano drove in two runs in the Yankees’ fifth straight victory, and sixth in a row at home.

Mussina (11-6) allowed three runs and seven hits, including four straight in the seventh, in 6 2-3 innings as New York swept its eighth series this season. Mussina, who struck out five and walked one, had a shutout before allowing consecutive two-out RBI singles to Travis Hafner, Victor Martinez and Jhonny Peralta in the seventh.

Mariano Rivera got three outs for his 18th save in 19 opportunities.

Royals 7, Mariners 5

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Carlos Beltran hit a two-run homer off Arthur Rhodes in the 10th inning Sunday, giving the Kansas City Royals a 7-5 victory over the Seattle Mariners.

The Royals took three of four in a series between division leaders, their first four-game series victory over Seattle in nearly 11 years. The AL Central leaders improved to 54-42, their best record at this point since 1989.

Julius Matos singled with one out in the 10th against Rhodes (2-2), and Beltran connected on an 0-2 pitch for his first career game-winning homer and 13th of the season. Center fielder Mike Cameron leaped at the wall and appeared to hav

Twins 6, Athletics 4

MINNEAPOLIS – Doug Mientkiewicz hit a three-run homer and Torii Hunter added a two-run shot to help the Minnesota Twins complete a four-game sweep of the Oakland Athletics with a 6-4 victory Sunday.

Shannon Stewart went 4-for-4 with an RBI for the Twins, who have bounced back to life after an awful end – 22 losses in 28 games – to the first half.

Kenny Rogers (8-5) beat Ted Lilly in a drawn-out battle of two wild lefties, as Minnesota finished the season 8-1 against Oakland and swept a four-game set from the A’s for the first time since August 1993.

Devil Rays 15, Rangers 4

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Aubrey Huff, Al Martin and Travis Lee each hit a three-run homer, leading the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to a 15-4 rout of the Texas Rangers on Sunday.

The 15 runs equaled a team record and was the most ever at home for Tampa Bay, which is 8-8 in July. The Devil Rays were a franchise-worst 5-21 in June.

Julio Lugo had four hits, and Jorge Sosa (3-7) allowed two runs and four hits over seven innings.

White Sox 10, Tigers 1

CHICAGO – Frank Thomas hit two of Chicago’s five home runs and Esteban Loaiza shut down Detroit for seven innings as the White Sox beat the Tigers 10-1 Sunday.

Loaiza (12-5), a non-roster invitee to spring training, set a career high in wins with the victory. He gave up five hits and one run in his first appearance since starting the All-Star game last Tuesday in Chicago.

Loaiza, who won 11 games in 1997 and 2001, struck out seven and walked one to snap a three-game losing streak.

Astros 6, Reds 3

CINCINNATI – Jeff Bagwell homered twice to become the 35th member of the 400-homer club, leading the Houston Astros to a 6-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday.

Bagwell drove in Houston’s first four runs as the Astros beat Cincinnati for the 10th straight time. The Reds have lost seven in a row at home, matching their longest skid since dropping nine straight in Cincinnati in 2001.

Bagwell connected in the fourth and sixth innings off Danny Graves (4-10) to reach 400 homers. Bagwell moved past Dale Murphy (398) and Al Kaline on the career list. Hall-of-Famer Duke Snider is next up in 34th place with 407.

Pirates 6, Brewers 3

PITTSBURGH – Kip Wells won at home for the first time in more than a year and Aramis Ramirez homered despite a sore ankle that almost sidelined him, leading the Pittsburgh Pirates past the Milwaukee Brewers 6-3 Sunday.

Wells (4-4), winning his second straight start after going winless for six weeks, gave up an unearned run and struck out a career-high nine until being lifted after throwing 116 pitches in seven innings.

Cubs 16, Marlins 2

MIAMI – A thundershower and the Chicago Cubs cooled off Dontrelle Willis.

Willis failed to retire a batter following a 67-minute rain delay in the bottom of the second inning, and the Cubs ended the rookie’s eight-game winning streak, beating the Florida Marlins 16-2 Sunday.

Chicago chased Willis (9-2) with six consecutive hits and a walk in the third. He was charged with six runs in the worst outing of his brief career, inflating his ERA from 2.08 to 2.67.

Phillies 3, Expos 2

PHILADELPHIA – Brett Myers struck out 10 and came within one out of a shutout, and Bobby Abreu drove in two runs as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Montreal Expos 3-2 Sunday.

Pat Burrell hit an RBI double for Philadelphia, which took three of four from the Expos in the series. The Phillies have eight wins in their last 10 games.

Braves 11, Mets 8

ATLANTA – Pinch-hitter Javy Lopez’s three-run homer keyed an eight-run rally in the eighth inning and the Atlanta Braves beat the New York Mets 11-8 Sunday to finish a four-game sweep.

Pinch-hitter Marcus Giles drove in the go-ahead run as Atlanta got nine hits in the eighth to complete a stirring comeback.

Giants 8, Rockies 4

SAN FRANCISCO – Alberto Castillo hit a grand slam for his first homer in two years, helping the San Francisco Giants complete a four-game sweep with an 8-4 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday.

Castillo received a long standing ovation from the sellout crowd following his first career slam. Once he received the proper greeting from his teammates in the dugout, he came back out and tipped his hat to the fans, a huge smile across his face. Rookie Jesse Foppert (6-8), recalled before the game to make the start, matched his career high with 10 strikeouts in six-plus innings.