By The Associated Press

NEW YORK – Baltimore sent Roger Clemens to his quickest exit in a year, with Jeff Conine and B.J. Surhoff hitting early home runs to back Sidney Ponson and lead the Orioles over the New York Yankees 5-3 Thursday.

Clemens (9-7), in the final season of his 20-year career in the major leagues, lasted just four innings, gave up nine hits and left trailing 5-0.

Ponson (14-5) tied Toronto’s Roy Halladay and Atlanta’s Russ Ortiz for the major league lead in victories, winning his fourth straight start since a June 30 loss to the Yankees. He had been 0-8 in 14 starts against the Yankees since Sept. 19, 1998.

Ponson, who is eligible for free agency after the season, could be dealt before the July 31 trade deadline. He took a shutout into the sixth inning before the Yankees got a pair of runs, then retired Ruben Sierra on an inning-ending grounder with two on. He allowed six hits, struck out five and walked three.

After Raul Mondesi’s two-out RBI double in the ninth, Jorge Julio retired Alfonso Soriano on foul popup on his only pitch for his 23rd in 28 chances.

Brian Roberts had a career-high four hits for the Orioles, who had 13 in all.

New York, which had led the AL East since June 12, headed to Boston after the game for a weekend series with the Red Sox.

Clemens entered with a 20-11 career record against the Orioles but fell behind four batters in. Melvin Mora was hit on the rear end with two outs and Conine, just 5-for-28 (.179) against Clemens coming in, homered on the next pitch.

Ponson hit Jason Giambi on a thigh in the bottom half, and plate umpire Mark Wegner appeared to warn both teams.

Surhoff added a solo shot in the second, just his fourth home run of the season, and Roberts hit a two-run single to right in the fourth past a drawn-in infield.

Sterling Hitchcock, also available in the trade market, relieved Clemens to start the fifth. It was Clemens’ shortest outing since June 20 last year at Colorado when he was hit by a line drive and left after four innings, and his shortest start not cut short by an injury since he lasted 3 2-3 innings at Boston on May last season.

Hitchcock had one of his better outings, allowing three hits in 3 2-3 scoreless innings and striking out five.

Ponson escaped a bases-loaded jam in the third but the Yankees finally scored in the sixth when Hideki Matsui hit an RBI single and Robin Ventura had a run-scoring single that bounced over second baseman Roberts into right field.

Twins 6, Royals 2

MINNEAPOLIS – Pinch-hitter A.J. Pierzynski singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning after Shannon Stewart’s hustle on a bunt forced a key misplay, leading the Minnesota Twins past the Kansas City Royals 6-2 Thursday.

Jacque Jones homered and drove in three runs and Torii Hunter also homered for the Twins, who salvaged a split of the two-game series and pulled within 51/2 games of the Royals in the AL Central.

Raul Ibanez homered and had an RBI triple for the Royals, who lost to the Twins for just the fourth time in 12 tries this year.

The Twins scored four unearned runs in the eighth against Jason Grimsley (2-4), with help from an error and a wild pitch.

Denny Hocking led off the eighth with a single and Stewart moved him over with a sacrifice bunt that first baseman Ken Harvey fielded. But Stewart avoided the tag – he appeared to run out of the baseline, but the Royals made no argument – and took second when Harvey’s throw sailed past second baseman Carlos Febles, who was covering the bag.

Pierzynski’s single made it 3-2, and Stewart came home on Grimsley’s wild pitch. Doug Mientkiewicz walked, and Jones doubled in two runs to put Minnesota up 6-2.

Minnesota’s Brad Radke and Kansas City’s Darrell May matched each other in a crisp pitcher’s duel, though neither got a decision.

Tigers 7, Indians 4

CLEVELAND – Craig Monroe homered as the Detroit Tigers roughed up C.C. Sabathia and beat the Cleveland Indians 7-4 Thursday night to end a six-game losing streak.

Sabathia (8-6) retired the first seven batters, but lost his command after the Tigers scored an unearned run on third baseman Casey Blake’s error in the third inning.

The Tigers broke away by scoring four runs with two outs in the fifth. Ben Petrick and Dmitri Young each drove in a run, then Monroe hit a two-run shot, his 10th, for a 5-1 lead.

Sabathia went 6 1-3 innings, allowing six runs, five earned, on nine hits and two walks. He has lost three straight after winning eight of nine decisions.

The All-Star pitcher was 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA against the Tigers this season entering Thursday night’s game, and 6-1 with a 3.50 ERA in nine career starts.

The win snapped Detroit’s six-game losing streak against Cleveland.

Nate Cornejo (5-8) scattered nine hits over 6 2-3 innings, giving up three runs.

He had a season-high four strikeouts and walked none.

Chris Mears pitched the final 1 2-3 innings for his fifth save.