Jason Giambi and the sluggish Yankees suddenly turned sluggerish.

The Yankees played home run derby Thursday, with Giambi, Johnny Damon, Robinson Cano, and Wilson Betemit connecting in a 6-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians that prevented a three-game sweep.

“There were big hits up and down the lineup,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said.

A day after Damon called the Yankees’ recent output “pitiful,” a lineup missing injured Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada matched a season high for homers.

“I think we’re going to be fine,” Damon said.

Giambi, Cano, and Betemit each began the day hitting well under .180. Damon has done better from the leadoff spot, and he homered for the Yankees’ first run in the fourth inning and hit a go-ahead double in the fifth.

Cleveland was trying to sweep the Yankees in a series of three or more games for the first time in nearly two decades.

Mike Mussina (5-3) won his fourth straight start and earned his 255th career victory, holding on for five innings. Setup man Joba Chamberlain won his rematch with David Dellucci and Mariano Rivera closed for his ninth save.

Cano’s homer finished Paul Byrd (1-3) in the seventh and Betemit, subbing for Rodriguez, met reliever Masa Kobayashi with a drive over the center-field fence.

The only drama after that came in the eighth when Chamberlain faced Dellucci. On Tuesday night, Dellucci rocked the hard-throwing reliever with a pinch-hit, three-run homer.

Girardi later talked to Chamberlain about his penchant for shaking off his catcher’s signs. This time, Chamberlain again shook off Jose Molina, then got Dellucci to swing over a slider for strike three.

Chamberlain, as usual, gave an exaggerated fist pump and hollered after fanning Dellucci to end the inning.

“That’s who he is. He’s not showing anyone up. He’s going to show emotion,” Girardi said. “He didn’t look at Dellucci. He looked into our dugout.”

That’s not exactly how Dellucci saw Chamberlain’s celebration.

“It is what it is. If he wants to yell and scream after a strikeout, I guess that’s what gets him going,” he said. “It’s May baseball. The home run was in a much bigger situation. I didn’t dance and scream.

“If a hitter did something like that, it would be bush. It’s kind of interesting how a pitcher gets away with it.”

Said Chamberlain: “It didn’t matter who it was, I just wanted to get them out.”

Mussina moved into sole possession of 39th place on the career wins list, breaking a tie with Jack Morris and Red Faber.

Damon and Giambi homered in the fourth to put the Yankees ahead 3-0. The Indians bounced back in the fifth against Mussina, tying it on Casey Blake’s two-run double and Kelly Shoppach’s RBI single.

Giambi’s upper-deck drive landed just inside the right-field foul pole, with the star twisting his body and hoping to steer the shot clear. It was his sixth homer of the season, including two off Byrd on April 25 at Cleveland.