NEW YORK – That record-setting defeat appears to have stirred up the Yankees.

Gary Sheffield had three RBIs to reach 100 for the seventh time, Alex Rodriguez hit a three-run homer and Jon Lieber pitched seven shutout innings to lead New York to its second straight win, 9-1 over the Cleveland Indians on Thursday night.

With its AL East lead over second-place Boston cut to 3 games from 10 on Aug. 16, the Yankees have faced a torrent of questions this week, especially following Tuesday night’s 22-0 loss to the Indians.

Sheffield hit an RBI single off third baseman Casey Blake in the second, had a run-scoring double in the fourth against Kazuhito Tadano, doubled again in the sixth and added a sacrifice fly in the eighth to raise his RBIs total to 101. Sheffield, who has had 100-RBI seasons with five teams, was periodically serenaded with chants of “M-V-P! M-V-P!”

Lieber (10-8) didn’t allow any runs for the first time in 22 starts this year, and let just one runner get past first base.

Twins 2, Rangers 0

MINNEAPOLIS – Brad Radke had a season-high nine strikeouts in eight shutout innings to give the Minnesota Twins a three-game sweep of the Texas Rangers with a 2-0 victory.

Blue Jays 8, Mariners 6

TORONTO – Ichiro Suzuki got three more hits, but Orlando Hudson and Vernon Wells homered to lead the Toronto Blue Jays to an 8-6 victory over the Seattle Mariners .

Athletics 4, White Sox 2

CHICAGO – Mark Redman pitched seven strong innings for his 10th win and Billy McMillon homered to lead the Oakland Athletics past the Chicago White Sox 4-2.

Orioles 13, Devil Rays 2

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Miguel Tejada drove in three more runs and Erik Bedard pitched seven impressive innings, leading the Baltimore Orioles to a 13-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Marlins 9, Mets 6

NEW YORK – Carl Pavano moved into a tie for the NL lead with his 16th win, helping the Florida Marlins gain ground in the wild-card chase with a 9-6 victory over the New York Mets.

Brewers 7, Pirates 1

MILWAUKEE – Ben Sheets threw a four-hitter for his first win since the All-Star break, Bill Hall drove in four runs and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-1 to salvage a split of their four-game series.