HOWIE RUMBERG,AP Sports Writer


NEW YORK (AP) — Phil Hughes bounced back from a rough outing to pitch eight scoreless innings and Alex Rodriguez hit a long home run Tuesday night, leading the New York Yankees to a 6-4 victory over the Cleveland Indians.


Hughes (8-6) gave up six hits and a walk to win for the fifth time in six decisions. He worked with runners on base in five innings. He lasted only 4 1-3 innings in his previous outing.


Curtis Granderson had a two-run single and Chris Stewart added an RBI hit as several bounces went New York's way against Justin Masterson (4-7) in the second inning.


The Yankees got a break in the seventh, too, when Yankees left fielder Dewayne Wise fooled third base umpire Mike DiMuro into thinking he made a stupendous catch flipping into the stands in foul territory down the left field line with two outs and a runner on third base.


After a wait of several seconds for Wise to emerge from the stands, DiMuro called it a catch and birthday boy Derek Jeter was the first to greet Wise. Jeter, of course, made one of his most famous catches diving head first into the stands in left. Replays, though, showed the ball hitting off Wise's glove as he fell to the ground and out of view.


Little is going right for the Indians, losers of four straight. In their previous four games Cleveland scored just five runs. They scored four runs against Cory Wade in the ninth on Johnny Damon's RBI single and Jose Lopez's three-run homer. Lopez was in for third baseman Jack Hannahan, who was ejected in the eighth.


Rafael Soriano got one out for his 16th save.


On the flip side, the Yankees can do little wrong these past few weeks. Rodriguez's monster shot in the seventh off Tony Sipp into the second deck in left field was No. 642 of his career and helped the Yankees to their fourth straight win and 14th in 17 games.


Entering Tuesday, New York had scored 16 of their last 21 runs by the long ball. But Masterson had never allowed a homer to the Yankees in eight outings and that held true. So the Yankees played small-ball against the pitcher with a 1.24 ERA in June and a streak of having not given up an earned run in 20 1-3 innings coming in.


Mark Teixeira walked leading off the second inning but was taken out at second base on Nick Swisher's fielder's choice. After out No. 2, Wise, starting a second straight game after homering Monday night, singled. Stewart hit a hot shot down the third base line that hit off a diving Hannahan's glove for a run-scoring single.


Jeter then hit a bouncer that deflected off Masterson's lower leg and he reached safely to load the bases. Granderson followed with a two-run opposite-field single to left-center to make it 3-0.


Granderson walked leading off the fifth and advanced to third on Robinson Cano's broken-bat blooper to short center field. Teixeira drove him in with a fly to center.


The Bleacher Creatures chanted "Hap-py Birth-day!" for Jeter instead of his name during roll call. Fans gave a big cheer when the newly 38-year-old captain gave a wave.


NOTES: Indians DH Travis Hafner (minor right knee surgery) will begin a rehabilitation assignment Wednesday at Triple-A Columbus. There is no set amount of games scheduled yet, manager Manny Acta said. ... RHP Carlos Carrasco (elbow reconstruction surgery last September) threw from a mound. "It's encouraging to see him throw the bullpen the way the ball was coming out of his hand today," Acta said, adding Carrasco is on track to return next season. ... The Yankees claimed RHP Danny Farquhar off waivers from Oakland and optioned him to Double-A Trenton. To make room on the 40-man roster, they transferred OF Brett Gardner to the 60-day DL. Manager Joe Girardi says there is little chance Gardner (elbow) will return before the All-Star break.