Yankees defeat Indians, 9-4; win 7 of last 8 heading into the All-Star break

The New York Yankees rebounded from a tough loss on Saturday to win Sunday's game 9-4 against the Cleveland Indians thanks to some timely hitting.

Randy Johnson (9-6) allowed three runs on nine hits, six of which were leadoff hits. His performance bested Tribe starter Jake Westbrook (6-11), who pitched well to start the game but then surrendered two runs in the 4th inning and three in the 5th as the Yankees' hitters constructed a lead.

Recently acquired reliever Wayne Franklin threatened to lose the lead in the 7th inning, but was saved by Tanyon Sturtze, who came on to get the final out of the inning. Gary Sheffield then responded in the bottom of the inning with a three-run homer hit deep into the right-center field bleachers, stretching the Yankee lead to 9-4.

Mariano Rivera closed out the game with a two-inning appearance, recording his 20th save. He enters the All-Star break preparing for Tuesday's game, along with Sheffield and Alex Rodriguez. The Yankees currently trail the AL East leader Boston Red Sox by 2.5 games, but face tough road series against the BoSox, Rangers, and Angels when play resumes on Thursday.