MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Brewers are getting the clutch performances that the Yankees used to be known for.

Ben Sheets won for the first time since opening day and the Brewers again held off Derek Jeter and the punchless Yankees, sending New York to its ninth loss in 10 games with a 2-1 win last night.

For the second straight night, Jeter represented the go-ahead run but made the last out.

“You never want to put yourself in that situation,” said closer Derrick Turnbow, who jammed Jeter for a comebacker to the mound one night after watching him line an outside fastball to the opposite field. “Sooner or later your luck will run out.”

Jeter, who stranded the potential tying run at third, said the pitch looked exactly the same as it did the night before.

“It started in the same spot but ran into me. I wish I could flip-flop the days and maybe get different results,” he said.

Sheets (2-5) allowed just two singles in seven strong innings, his third start since coming off the disabled list. He walked five and struck out five before turning things over to his stellar bullpen.

Ricky Bottalico pitched a hitless eighth and Turnbow got his 10th save in 12 chances. But not until he escaped a jam, just as he did the night before – when Geoff Jenkins ran down Jeter’s drive in the right-field corner to preserve a 4-3 victory.

This time, Jenkins nearly made a diving grab of Robinson Cano’s liner to right-center, but the ball squirted free for a double that left runners at second and third with one out.

Bernie Williams’s RBI groundout gave the Yankees a run, but Jeter bounced back to the mound on the first pitch to end it.

Yankees right-hander Carl Pavano (4-5) allowed just five hits in six solid innings, but one was a two-run homer to Hall.

With pressure continuing to mount from impatient owner George Steinbrenner, the $200 million Yankees fell to 1-7 on their 12-game road trip, lost their fourth straight series, and dipped two games below .500 at 28-30. They also fell to 0-22 when scoring three runs or fewer.

This is the latest the Yankees have been below .500 since September 5, 1995, when they were 60-61.

“I don’t like it,” Torre said. “The food doesn’t taste as good. Of course, I’ve never been a good sleeper, but waking up in the morning isn’t a lot of fun.”

The Yankees have managed just seven singles and a double in the series so far, and Torre canceled batting practice for the finale tonight.

Sheets ended his five-game losing streak by winning for just the fifth time in 19 decisions since the All-Star break last year. Yost said he finally looked like the pitcher who dominated all last summer.

After Sheets struck out the side in the first, Hall put the Brewers ahead 2-0 following a walk to Overbay. It was Hall’s sixth homer and the 14th allowed this season by Pavano, who gave up 16 all of last season with Florida.

The Yankees loaded the bases with two outs in the third when Jeter and Tony Womack singled for the only hits off Sheets and Gary Sheffield drew a four-pitch walk. Hideki Matsui, however, grounded out to second.

“I tried to give us the best chance to win, but teams aren’t going to keep this lineup down for long,” Pavano said. “Teams go through spells like this, pitching staffs go through spells like this. But the guys that are toughest rise to the top and this is far from over.”

Pavano threw just 75 pitches, his lowest total since April 10.