Jeter, Posada Lift Yankees

Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada each homered and drove in two runs as the New York Yankees defeated the Chicago White Sox, 6-4, Tuesday night at New York.

The Yankees, who have clinched the AL East title, moved 41/2 games ahead of Central winner Cleveland in the race to open the playoffs at home.

Ted Lilly (5-6), making his first start since Aug. 18, gave up four runs and six hits in six innings.

Mariano Rivera, in his first outing since having a cortisone shot in his right ankle Saturday, struck out the side in the ninth for his 48th save.

Dan Wright (5-3) gave up five runs and eight hits in four-plus innings.

Oakland 9, Texas 4-Barry Zito won his eighth start in a row and Jason Giambi homered and drove in four runs as the Athletics won their 16th consecutive home game.

Miguel Tejada hit a three-run homer for the Athletics, who are 62-20 since June 27 and haven’t lost in Oakland since Aug. 24.

Zito (16-8) relied on his looping curveball to strike out five, bringing his season total to 202. He gave up eight hits in six innings, including a solo homer by Ruben Sierra.

Baltimore 4, Toronto 3-Tim Raines Jr. got his first major league hit, in the ninth inning against Matthew Dewitt (0-2), and scored on Pedro Borbon’s two-out, bases-loaded walk to Brady Anderson at Baltimore.

Cal Ripken Jr. went 0 for 4 for Baltimore, his seventh hitless game in a row. Ripken, who will retire after this season, is in an 0-for-29 skid.

Jose Cruz Jr. homered for the fourth consecutive game and had three runs batted in for Toronto.

Minnesota 5, Detroit 0-Brad Radke (4-11) pitched a three-hitter at Detroit for his second shutout this season.

Detroit sold 11,941 tickets, the smallest attendance in Comerica Park’s two-year history.

Heath Murray (1-7) lost his fourth consecutive decision, giving up four runs and nine hits in five-plus innings.

Tampa Bay 10, Boston 3-Paul Wilson (8-9) gave up two runs in seven innings, twice working out of bases-loaded jams at St. Petersburg, Fla.

Tampa Bay (59-98) has won seven of nine and is trying to avoid becoming the first AL team to lose 100 games since the 1996 Detroit Tigers (53-109).

Kansas City 5, Cleveland 1-Carlos Beltran hit a two-out, tiebreaking single against John Rocker (3-7) in the eighth inning and Mike Sweeney followed with a three-run homer at Kansas City.

It was Sweeney’s 99th career homer.

The Indians got five shutout innings from rookie Ryan Drese, who gave up only Mark Quinn’s third-inning double.

Drese struck out four and walked one.