The New York Yankees wasted a six-run lead and were about to get swept by the Minnesota Twins until Gary Sheffield saved them - just as he has so often this season.

Sheffield homered twice and keyed a four-run rally in the ninth inning Thursday night, sending the Yankees to a seesaw, 13-10 victory in Minnesota.

"I can't see anybody who's played better baseball in the last four months - with a bad shoulder to boot. It's been awesome to watch," teammate Alex Rodriguez said.

Down 9-3 and minus Gold Glove center fielder Torii Hunter after he crashed into the fence, the Twins came back and nearly swept the three-game series between AL division leaders.

Shannon Stewart hit a two-out, two-run triple past Sheffield's lunge in right field, giving Minnesota a 10-9 lead in the eighth and capping an improbable comeback against New York's stellar bullpen.

But the Yankees bounced back when Sheffield hit a tying homer with one out off All-Star closer Joe Nathan (1-1), who had not allowed a run in 29 innings.

"I'm telling you, the pitch that he made to Sheffield wasn't a bad pitch," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Ninety-four mph, or whatever, down below the knees and he hit it out. That's just a pretty good hitter."

Rodriguez, just back from a four-game suspension, followed Sheffield's homer with a single and a stolen base before Hideki Matsui grounded a go-ahead single.

Later in the inning, pinch-hitter Ruben Sierra had an RBI single, and another run scored on a throwing error by center fielder Lew Ford.

Nathan, who received a polite ovation as he walked to the dugout, tried to brush off the tough loss.

"It's not about worrying about what you did the previous day. It's about coming back in and trying to start a new streak," he said.

Ford entered as a replacement for Hunter, who strained his neck when he ran into the padded wall while sprinting after Jorge Posada's double in the fifth. Hunter stayed down on the warning track for several minutes, left the field on a cart and was day to day.

Tom Gordon (4-3) got the win despite allowing Stewart's triple. Mariano Rivera earned his major league-leading 41st save.

"I thought we had it when we had a six-run lead the second time," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "But those things happen."

At Chicago, Bobby Higginson homered twice and Wilfredo Ledezma (3-0) pitched six effective innings for the win. The White Sox played their third straight game without manager Ozzie Guillen, who got his second two-game suspension Thursday, this time for calling umpire Hunter Wendelstedt a liar.

At St. Petersburg, Fla., Vladimir Guerrero hit a three-run homer and Josh Paul added his first career grand slam. Darin Erstad hit a two-run shot for the Angels, who have won 10 of 14.John Lackey (10-10) took a shutout into the seventh inning and Francisco Rodriguez got five outs for his 10th save. Carl Crawford homered and stole his 50th base for the Devil Rays, who have lost eight of nine.

At Los Angeles, Johnny Estrada homered, drove in three runs and started Atlanta's go-ahead rally in the ninth inning against Eric Gagne (4-3). Pinch-hitter Adam LaRoche drove in the tiebreaking run with a single.Adrian Beltre and Shawn Green each hit a pair of solo homers for the Dodgers in a matchup of division leaders. Atlanta's John Smoltz earned his 142nd career save, breaking Gene Garber's franchise record.

At Milwaukee, Greg Maddux (12-8) overcame a shaky start to earn his 301st win, and Sammy Sosa hit one of Chicago's three homers. Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez also connected for the Cubs.

At Philadelphia, Eric Bruntlett, Craig Biggio and Lance Berkman homered during a seven-run rally in the seventh inning and Houston turned a game-changing triple play to send Philadelphia to its seventh straight loss.The Phillies led 7-2 in the fifth when Todd Pratt grounded into a bases-loaded triple play, the first turned by Houston in 13 years. The Astros swept the three-game series and won their fourth in a row.The Phillies finished 1-9 to match a team record for most losses on a homestand - they went 1-9-1 in 1941 at Connie Mack Stadium. Jim Thome hit his 36th homer, and Bobby Abreu had a pair of two-run doubles.

At Denver, David Wright hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the ninth to help New York complete a doubleheader sweep.The Mets won the opener behind the pitching of Kris Benson (10-9) and Mike Cameron's four RBIs, then tied the nightcap on Eric Valent's leadoff homer in the eighth against Tim Harikkala.