NEW YORK (AP) – Pinch-runner Drew Henson stumbled home to score the tiebreaking run on Bernie Williams’ eighth-inning single, and the New York Yankees beat the Detroit Tigers 4-2 Tuesday night.

Jorge Posada hit a two-run single for the Yankees, who got an excellent effort from their maligned bullpen.

Detroit (37-106) needs six wins in its final 19 games to avoid matching the post-1900 record of 120 losses in a season.

set by the 1962 New York Mets.

The punchless Tigers snapped a 26-inning scoreless drought and tied it with two runs in the fifth, but still dropped their fourth straight.

Yankees starter Jose Contreras came out in the fifth with a mildly sprained left ankle. X-rays were negative and he is day-to-day.

Fernando Rodney (0-3) walked Posada with one out in the eighth and was replaced by Henson. The former Michigan quarterback moved to second on Ruben Sierra’s single and Williams then snapped a 6-for-43 skid with a single off the glove of diving second baseman Warren Morris.

Henson tripped and fell coming around third, but still scored easily.

The Tigers appealed at third base, but umpire Paul Schrieber ruled Henson hit the bag, and he smiled in the dugout with his teammates.

Henson was called up from the minors last Friday amid rumors that he plans to give up baseball for a possible NFL career.

Hideki Matsui followed with a sacrifice fly, making it 4-2.

Gabe White (1-0) threw one pitch in the eighth for his first win with the Yankees since being acquired from Cincinnati on July 31. Mariano Rivera worked the ninth for his 34th save in 40 chances.

Yankees reliever Jeff Nelson struck out Craig Monroe with the bases loaded to end the seventh. New York has won three in a row since getting blown out in the first two games of a weekend series against the Red Sox and drawing the ire of owner George Steinbrenner.

Contreras cruised through the first three innings, but couldn’t get out of the fifth. Ramon Santiago hit an RBI single – Detroit’s first run since last Friday – and Contreras’ left shoe came off as he stumbled while chasing Alex Sanchez’s bunt single.

Assistant trainer Steve Donohue came out twice during the inning to check on Contreras, who never seemed comfortable again. He was lifted after walking Dmitri Young with the bases loaded, and Felix Heredia got out of the inning when Carlos Pena lined out.

The Yankees jumped ahead when Posada grounded a two-run single to left in the first inning.

Tigers starter Nate Robertson used a good breaking ball to keep the Yankees in check for the first six innings. He allowed two runs and five hits in his fifth start since being recalled from Triple-A Toledo on Aug. 18.

Notes: The Yankees have won 14 of the last 16 meetings, dating to 2001. … Yankees manager Joe Torre gave slugger Jason Giambi a rest, one day after he snapped a 1-for-40 skid with two hits. … Matsui saved a run in the second with a tremendous sliding catch on the warning track in left-center, robbing Shane Halter of extra bases and earning a standing ovation. … Robertson picked Alfonso Soriano off first in the fifth.

AP-ES-09-09-03 2231EDT