Dominant Yankees triumph

New York Yankees' Derek Jeter (right) is congratulated by teammate Alex Rodriguez after Jeter hit a solo home run against the Minnesota Twins.

NEW YORK // The New York Yankees routed the Minnesota Twins 12-4 for their fourth consecutive win which keeps them in the race for the American League East. Third baseman Alex Rodriguez homered and drove in three runs to help the Yankees stay four games behind the leaders Tampa Bay. Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano also homered for the Yankees, who placed catcher Jorge Posada on the 15-day disabled list with an injured throwing shoulder before the game.

Posada will be examined again, but faces possible season-ending surgery. Jose Molina was behind the plate for the Yankees and had a season-high three hits to cap a fine display. "Jorge is going to come back sometime and I am just going to help out until he gets back," Molina said. " Sidney Ponson gave up three runs over five innings for the win. The Yankees manager Joe Girardi said: "I thought he threw the ball pretty well. We are getting good contributions from all of our pitchers lately."

The Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We didn't pitch very well. "You make mistakes with these guys here, you pay for them, and we paid for a lot of our mistakes out there." * Reuters