New York ? Jason Giambi overheard manager Joe Torre and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre talking about taking Mike Mussina out of the ballgame in the ninth inning.

So with two outs in the eighth, Giambi did all he could to help give the Yankees’ starter a shot at a shutout — he homered.

Giambi’s solo shot gave New York a two-run lead and Mussina got his chance, but Mariano Rivera ended up finishing off the Yankees’ 2-1 win over Texas on Sunday.

“(Stottlemyre) told me I was coming out. I talked him into letting me stay in, then I threw one down the middle,” Mussina said.

Mussina allowed a first-pitch triple to Rod Barajas to start the ninth, but didn’t make many mistakes in his best outing of the season.

He had the Rangers fooled all day, mixing his fastball with a tricky knuckle-curve to win his sixth straight decision. He struck out a season-high 10.

The right-hander never went to a three-ball count and didn’t let a runner reach second until Laynce Nix hit a ground-rule double to left-center with one out in the eighth.

“It was a good day to be pitching,” Mussina said of the crisp, 58-degree weather. “Depending on what I wanted to do, I could set them up with the heater and finish with the breaking ball or the other way around. I can’t complain about much of anything.”

Mussina (7-4) gave up a single to Eric Young with one out in the third, then retired his next 12 batters before giving up a single to former Yankees second baseman Alfonso Soriano with two outs in the seventh.

“That breaking ball was so good today,” Torre said. “They’re a fastball-hitting team. They didn’t have many good swings.”

Twins 6, Tigers 5

Minneapolis — Joe Mauer hit his first major-league homer, a three-run shot with two outs in the eighth inning, to help Minnesota beat Detroit. Mauer connected against Esteban Yan (0-2), capping a two-out rally and giving the slumping Twins a 6-3 lead. Minnesota held on in the ninth for its first series victory after four straight defeats. J.C. Romero (3-1) won despite giving up a tying single to pinch-hitter Brandon Inge in the eighth, and Joe Nathan pitched the ninth for his 15th save in 16 chances.

Indians 7, Angels 0

Anaheim, Calif. — C.C. Sabathia held Anaheim hitless until the sixth inning, and Omar Vizquel hit a two-run homer in Cleveland’s victory. Sabathia (3-3) won for the first time in four starts, allowing four singles in seven innings. He struck out six and walked two. David Riske and Matt Miller finished the five-hitter, Cleveland’s third straight win and third shutout of the season. The AL West-leading Angels have lost three in a row.

Athletics 8, Blue Jays 3

Oakland, Calif. — Eric Byrnes’ leadoff homer sparked a four-run first inning, and Oakland beat Toronto. Damian Miller added a two-run single off Jason Kershner (0-1) in the first, and Scott Hatteberg broke the game open with a three-run double in the seventh. The A’s won for the fifth time in six games and matched a season best at seven games over .500.

Orioles 5, Devil Rays 4

Baltimore — Rodrigo Lopez won his second straight start, and Rafael Palmeiro and Javy Lopez each had two hits and scored twice, leading Baltimore past Tampa Bay. B.J. Surhoff drove in two runs for the Orioles, who had lost four in a row since Lopez beat Boston on Monday. Lopez (5-2), making his fourth start since leaving the bullpen, gave up three runs and 10 hits in 61/3 innings. Jorge Julio worked the ninth for his ninth save, allowing a sacrifice fly to Rocco Baldelli, who also homered for the Devil Rays. Rob Bell (1-3) took the loss.

Mariners 5, White Sox 4

Seattle — Billy Koch walked Jolbert Cabrera with the bases loaded and one out in the ninth inning. The Mariners rallied for three runs in the ninth off Koch (1-1), who blew his second save in three games. Seattle, which had four steals in the inning, tied it when Bret Boone singled to score Randy Winn after he took third.