Milwaukee ? It was just a matter of time before Alex Rodriguez and the New York Yankees snapped out of it – at least for a day.

A-Rod became the youngest member of the 400-homer club, and a change in their routine got the Yankees back on the winning track with a 12-3 rout of the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night.

“It was a very special day for me, especially if you do it in a win that we needed most desperately,” Rodriguez said after the Yankees won for just the second time in 11 games.

Manager Joe Torre went to drastic measures to snap his slumping team out of its latest funk, canceling batting practice, juggling his lineup – sitting Hideki Matsui for the first eight innings – and even getting ejected for arguing.

It worked.

A team that had hit .195 overall and .140 with runners in scoring position while losing seven of its first eight games on a season-long 12-game road trip, collected 16 hits and scored its most runs in two weeks.

Mike Mussina (6-4) was the beneficiary of the offensive breakthrough led by Rodriguez, who homered twice, went 4-for-4 and drove in four runs – his first RBIs of the trip.

Rodriguez’s two-run shot off left-hander Chris Capuano in the first inning was his 399th, and his solo shot off left-hander Jorge De La Rosa in the eighth made the 29-year-old third baseman the 40th player in major-league history to reach 400 homers.

“That’s pretty incredible,” Torre said. “The shape he’s in, the way he works, who knows where he’s going.”

The crowd of 37,586 gave A-Rod a polite standing ovation as he circled the bases.

New York's Alex Rodriguez reacts to hitting his 400th career home run. The Yankees defeated the Brewers, 12-3, Wednesday night in Milwaukee.

“It’s a special number,” Rodriguez said. “I’m actually just excited to do it with this uniform on.”

New York batting practice pitcher Roman Rodriguez caught the historic homer in the Yankees’ bullpen and acted like he was going to flip it into the stands before holding onto it with a sly smile. A-Rod posed for pictures with his bat and ball after the game.

Mussina gave up three runs and six hits in six innings, including Carlos Lee’s 15th homer. He walked one and struck out eight.

Phillies 2, Rangers 0

Philadelphia – Pat Burrell’s two-run single broke a scoreless tie, and four pitchers combined on a five-hitter, leading Philadelphia over Texas. The Phillies have won 11 of 13, moving to a season-best four games over .500 at 32-28. Rookie Robinson Tejeda pitched five innings in his first big-league start. He allowed two hits and two walks, striking out four.

Aaron Fultz (1-0) pitched one inning to record his first win with the Phillies. Billy Wagner finished for his 16th save in 18 chances.

Marlins 5, Mariners 4

Miami – Dontrelle Willis became the major leagues’ first 10-game winner, and Carlos Delgado drove in all of Florida’s runs as the Marlins snapped a four-game losing streak.

Willis (10-2) wasn’t particularly sharp, giving up a season-high 10 hits and four earned runs in 62â3 innings. Still, he became only the third pitcher in Marlins’ history to log 10 wins before the All-Star break.

Indians 6, Padres 1

San Diego – Scott Elarton won a road start for the first time in more than four years, and Aaron Boone hit two home runs, leading Cleveland over San Diego.

Elarton (3-2) held the Padres to one run and four hits in six innings as he won for the first time in 30 road starts. Elarton’s last road win came on May 6, 2001, at Montreal when he pitched for the Houston Astros. During the stretch, Elarton was 0-13 on the road. Boone’s fifth and sixth home runs were solo shots, as were the ones hit by Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner. Boone, who connected leading off the second inning, had not homered in 108 at-bats.

Cubs 2, Blue Jays 0

Chicago – Sergio Mitre allowed two hits over seven shutout innings and added an RBI double off Roy Halladay to help Chicago beat Toronto, avoiding a three-game sweep. Mitre (1-1) retired the first 13 batters, getting 10 groundball outs and striking out three before Aaron Hill beat out a chopper to third with one out in the fifth for an infield single.

White Sox 15, Rockies 5

Denver – Orlando Hernandez shook off a shaky start to win his sixth straight decision, and Chicago had a season-high 22 hits, completing a three-game sweep at Coors Field.

Juan Uribe and Carl Everett each had three RBIs for Chicago, which joined Anaheim (2001) as the only AL teams to sweep at Coors Field. The White Sox already have swept four road series after doing it twice last season and have won seven of nine overall.

Reds 11, Devil Rays 9

Cincinnati – Wily Mo Pena homered in his first and last at-bats, sending Cincinnati over Tampa Bay. Eduardo Perez hit his second career grand slam for another big Tampa Bay lead, but the AL’s worst pitching staff blew a five-run cushion for the second straight night. The Reds hit six homers, including back-to-back shots by Adam Dunn and Jacob Cruz in the eighth that cut it to 9-8.

Pirates 6, Orioles 1

Pittsburgh – Rob Mackowiak drove in four runs to support Kip Wells’ latest strong start, and Pittsburgh dealt Baltimore its first road-series loss since August. The Pirates led 3-0 in the first before Bruce Chen (5-4) recorded an out. The early burst came one night after Daryle Ward and Jack Wilson homered during a four-run eighth inning that helped rally Pittsburgh from a five-run deficit to a 6-5 victory.

Red Sox 4, Cardinals 0

St. Louis – David Wells threw eight innings of four-hit ball, and Boston received big hits from David Ortiz and Jason Varitek in a victory over St. Louis. The Red Sox avoided a three-game sweep in the World Series rematch, looking more like the team that swept the Cardinals last fall than the one that lost the first two games by a combined score of 16-3.

Dodgers 3, Tigers 1

Los Angeles – Jeff Weaver outpitched Jason Johnson with seven innings of two-hit ball, and Jason Grabowski hit a two-run homer, leading Los Angeles over Detroit. Weaver (6-5) shrugged off Johnson’s first major-league home run and beat his former team for the first time, striking out seven and walking none.

Twins 10, Diamondbacks 0

Phoenix – Johan Santana threw a four-hitter as Minnesota shut out Arizon. Jacque Jones homered and drove in three runs, while Shannon Stewart had a solo shot and scored three runs, and Joe Mauer and Juan Castro each had two RBIs.

Nationals 7, Athletics 2

Washington – Ryan Church, Brian Schneider and Vinny Castilla homered, and Estaban Loaiza earned his first win in more than a month, leading Washington past Oakland for its season-high sixth straight victory. Church had four hits and three RBIs, falling a double short of the cycle. Since falling to 25-26 with a loss at St. Louis on May 28, Washington has gone 9-1.

Angels 8, Braves 4

Atlanta – Dallas McPherson matched his career high with three hits, including a tiebreaking two-run triple in the seventh inning, and Los Angeles beat Atlanta. The Braves have lost nine of 13.