NEW YORK – Alex Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield, Bernie Williams and Ruben Sierra hit home runs, and the New York Yankees took out their frustration on Detroit pitching, trouncing the Tigers 10-3 Monday night.

Swept by the New York Mets over the weekend, the Yankees bolted to a 7-0 lead in the second inning. Jason Giambi, who hadn’t started since June 26 because of intestinal parasites, put the Yankees ahead with an RBI single.

Jon Lieber (6-5) pitched shutout ball into the seventh and sent Detroit to its fifth straight loss. The Tigers lost their temper, too – reliever Esteban Yan was ejected for throwing over Rodriguez’s head.

Rodriguez hit his 20th homer, a three-run shot off Nate Robertson (7-4) in a six-run second. Rodriguez hip-hopped down the line, hoping the ball would stay fair, and he flipped his bat when it hooked inside the left-field foul pole.

The next time up, Rodriguez needed to duck away from Yan’s fastball. Plate umpire Mark Wegner immediately tossed Yan, who did not put up much of an argument.

Rodriguez had to back away from Al Levine’s fastball in his next at-bat, though that one appeared to be accidental.

Robertson had been 5-0 in his previous eight starts, and opponents were hitting only .220 against him – the best mark in the American League. The Yankees wrecked that stat, tagging him for eight hits and seven runs in just 1 2-3 innings.

Rodriguez began the game in a 1-for-21 slump, but his infield hit with two outs in the first set up Giambi’s single.

Williams hit a two-run double, Rodriguez homered and Hideki Matsui had an RBI in the second. Sheffield hit No. 14 in the fourth and Williams hit his 11th homer in the fifth and Sierra connected in the eighth.

Lieber blanked the Tigers on two singles through six innings. Carlos Pena hit an RBI double and Dmitri Young and Eric Munson singled home run that chased Lieber in the seventh.

Notes: Lieber had not walked the leadoff man in 236 innings before Pena drew a base on balls to start the third. Lieber’s streak dated to September 2001. … Young’s streak of eight games with an extra-base hit ended. … Yankees SS Derek Jeter got a warm ovation before his first at-bat. In his previous game at Yankee Stadium last Thursday against Boston, he went flying headfirst into the stands after catching a popup and ended up in a hospital. … Orlando Hernandez pitched seven sharp innings for the Yankees’ Triple-A team in Columbus.

AP-ES-07-05-04 2211EDT