New York ? After a shout-out, Sidney Ponson responded with a semi-shutout.

Facing the team that pounded him earlier this season, Ponson pitched a four-hitter and Javy Lopez homered again, leading the Baltimore Orioles past the New York Yankees 9-1 Thursday night.

“Lucky, I guess,” Ponson said.

Ponson (6-12) had quite a night, retiring 18 straight batters at one stretch.

After going 0-3 with an 8.83 ERA in three outings against the Yankees this season, Ponson got off to another rocky start when Bernie Williams hit a leadoff double in the first and scored on Gary Sheffield’s single.

When the inning ended, Ponson made a quick trip back to the Baltimore clubhouse. He reminded himself — loudly — that he had to get better.

“I screamed, I yelled,” he said.

And the Yankees did not score again.

Ponson found his rhythm in a hurry after Jorge Posada opened the second with a single for the Yankees’ third hit. Hideki Matsui grounded into a double play in the second and New York did not get another runner until Matsui singled with one out in the eighth.

“You might get knocked out in the first inning, who knows?” Ponson said. “That’s why you play the games.

Melvin Mora drove in four runs, Lopez had three RBIs and Miguel Tejada hit a pair of RBI singles for Baltimore. The Orioles won for just the second time in 10 games this season against the AL East leaders.

Baltimore Orioles' Jerry hairston, left, jokingly shoves New York Yankees' Derek Jeter after beating out the throw to second base on a hit to right field during the fourth inning Thursday at Yankee Stadium in New York.. Baltimore beat New York 9-1.

Lopez, coming off his two-homer performance the previous day against Curt Schilling at Fenway Park, hit his 15th homer, along with a double and single.

Jose Contreras (8-5) pitched on three days’ rest without success.

Tigers 3, White Sox 2

Detroit — Jason Johnson allowed three hits over six innings, handing Chicago its fifth straight loss.

Johnson (8-8) won for the fourth time in five decisions. Four relievers held the White Sox scoreless over three innings, with Ugueth Urbina pitching a perfect ninth for his 16th save in 18 chances.

Bobby Higginson grounded out with the bases loaded in the sixth, scoring Dmitri Young with the go-ahead run.

Scott Schoeneweis (6-8) allowed five hits and three runs in 5 1/3 innings for the White Sox, who dropped four games behind idle Minnesota in the AL Central.

Athletics 7, Rangers 6

Arlington, Tex. — Adam Melhuse hit a tie-breaking RBI single in the eighth and Erubiel Durazo went 3-for-4 and drove in a big insurance run to give the Oakland Athletics the victory over the Texas Rangers and first place in the AL West.

Mark McLemore homered for the first time since May 23, 2003, and drove in three runs to help Oakland win its sixth straight and move into first for the first time since July 6.

In moving past the Rangers, the A’s improved to 7-3 against Texas this season.

The Rangers have lost three straight and five of six. Texas led the division by 4 1/2 games after beating Oakland last Friday, but the A’s have won six straight to erase the lead.

Chad Bradford (5-4) pitched 1 1/3 innings for the win. Carlos Almanzar (7-2) took the loss.

Octavio Dotel allowed an RBI double by Eric Young in the ninth, before getting his seventh save in nine chances with the A’s since being traded from Houston in late June.

Eric Chavez and Mark McLemore hit back-to-back homers in the top of the first inning, but Texas equaled the feat in the home half when Alfonso Soriano and Mark Teixeira homered to give the Rangers a 3-2 lead. It was just Soriano’s second hit in 26 at-bats.

At 56-44, the Rangers are still leading the wild card race.