Fill-in leadoff batter Brett Gardner had a career-high five hits, including his third home run of the season and a triple. Rodriguez made it 7-1 with a two-run, opposite-field drive in the eighth off reliever Elmer Dessens, into the right-centerfield bullpens for his 11th homer this season.

Meanwhile, John Maine was shut down with pain behind his right shoulder, becoming the latest Met to suffer a setback days before he was scheduled to return to action in what has become an alarming trend this season.

Maine had been scheduled to make his final rehab start today for Class A Brooklyn. But now those plans have been scrapped and the starting pitcher is "hoping" to be back after the All-Star break. He didn't specify whether he meant late July or sometime in September.

The most recent diagnosis is a pinched nerve - supposedly unrelated to last year's surgery to remove a bone spur from behind that same shoulder - and he'll rest for a week before trying again.

The Yankees have new injury worries, too: Outfielder Xavier Nady reinjured his elbow making a throw during a rehab start and appears headed for season-ending surgery.

In other interleague games:

* At Chicago's U.S. Cellular Field, Geovany Soto hit a three-run homer and Jake Fox also homered as the visiting Cubs broke a four-game losing streak by beating the White Sox, 5-4.

Cubs rightfielder Milton Bradley went after the Gatorade cooler in the dugout and had an angry exchange with manager Lou Piniella in the clubhouse after striking out in the top of the sixth.

* At Atlanta, Josh Beckett (9-3) threw seven scoreless innings against the Braves and David Ortiz homered, leading the Boston Red Sox, 4-1.

* At St. Petersburg, Fla., B.J. Upton's three-run double snapped an eighth-inning tie and helped the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Florida Marlins, 7-3.

* At Baltimore, Melvin Mora had four RBI, and the Orioles beat the Washington Nationals, 11-1.

* At Cleveland, Ryan Garko hit a two-run homer to lead the Indians, 9-2, over the Cincinnati Reds.

* At Houston, Miguel Tejada had a double and drove in two runs to lead the Houston Astros to a 5-4 victory over the Detroit Tigers.

* At Pittsburgh, Virgil Vasquez (1-0) went six innings for his first major league win and the Pirates got home runs from Nyjer Morgan, Jason Jaramillo and Jack Wilson in a 5-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals.

* At St. Louis, the Minnesota Twins got two hits and an RBI each from Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer in a 3-1 victory over the Cardinals. Chris Hoffman, 34, of O'Fallon, Ill., fell headfirst from the upper deck at Busch Stadium on to the concourse below before the game and was treated at a hospital for a shoulder injury, gash to his face and other bumps and bruises.

* At Arlington, Texas, David Murphy and Hank Blalock homered to lead the Ranges over the San Diego Padres, 12-2.

In a National League game:

* At Milwaukee, Ryan Braun drove in a pair of runs, lifting the Brewers to a 5-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants.

Noteworthy

Major League Baseball will not suspend Ponson. Under the drug rules, he will be treated as a first-time offender and is subject to a medical review and fine.

The International Baseball Federation said yesterday that Ponson tested positive for Phentermine, a weight-loss drug that is similar in chemical structure to an amphetamine.

* One of two brothers accused of assaulting an off-duty Anaheim police officer outside Angel Stadium has been partially paralyzed after the officer shot both suspects. Carlos Velazquez, a Camp Pendleton Marine, remained hospitalized yesterday, 2 days after the officer's bullet struck his spinal cord in the stadium parking lot after an Angels game.

* When it comes time to decide whether Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens and other players from baseball's steroids era belong in the Hall of Fame, voters don't need any extra guidelines, because integrity and character are already included in the criteria, the Chicago chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America decided.

* Orioles righthander Koji Uehara probably will be scratched from his scheduled start tomorrow because of elbow soreness. *