BALTIMORE — Derek Jeter keeps hitting, and the Yankees continue to win. It’s no coincidence.

Jeter extended his career-high hitting streak to 20 games, going 2-for-4 with a homer and four RBI to lead New York over the Baltimore Orioles 9–4 yesterday

Jeter hit a double in the first inning and gave the Yankees a 5–0 lead with a two-run homer in the third. He added a run-scoring grounder in the fourth and a sacrifice fly in the sixth before finishing with a ninth-inning groundout.

His 20-game hitting streak is the longest by a Yankee since Bernie Williams’ 21-game run in August 1993. New York is 12–8 since Jeter last went hitless.

“He’s just a flat-out good player,” Williams said.

Yankees leadoff hitter Johnny Damon has scored 106 runs this season, in part because he’s batting ahead of Jeter in the lineup. Jeter batted third yesterday, but he’s usually in the 2-hole.

“We’re putting together a nice supporting cast around him and it shows. He could very well be the MVP,” Damon said. “He’s the guy you want coming up in the clutch. I always hope I’m on base for him.”

Damon was on third base in the fourth inning when Jeter hit a grounder to the right side that easily produced another run and moved Melky Cabrera to third.

Jaret Wright (10–7) allowed three runs and three hits in 6.1 innings to earn his first win since August 12. He struck out two, walked two and did not permit a runner past first base until Ramon Hernandez homered in the fifth.

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DODGERS 9, METS 1

Maybe the Los Angeles Dodgers should try some more first-time starters.

Eric Stults became the second Dodgers rookie pitcher to shut down the Mets, limiting New York to two hits over six innings in a 9–1 rout yesterday.

Stults, a 26-year-old left-hander making his first major league start, combined with three relievers on a threehitter. On Friday, Hong-Chih Kuo and three relievers teamed on a four-hitter in a 5–0 win.

“There’s no way we could ask for any better,” Dodgers manager Grady Little said. “We had two kids that we knew we could put out there with decent stuff, that we knew they would compete.”

Kenny Lofton gave Stults the lead with a three-run triple in the third off a shaky Steve Trachsel, and Nomar Garciaparra added a three-run homer and four RBI for the Dodgers, who began the day with a 1-game lead over secondplace San Diego in the NL West.

The Mets, who beat Brad Penny and Greg Maddux in the other two games of the series, saw the magic number for clinching their first NL East title since 1988 trimmed to four when Philadelphia lost to Florida.

Pitching in place of Mark Hendrickson, who is working on his mechanics while pitching in relief, Stults gave up a single up the middle to his second batter, Endy Chavez, and didn’t allow another hit until Jose Reyes homered to left-center with two outs in the sixth.

After Chavez’s hit, Stults got Paul Lo Duca to hit into an inning-ending double play.

Stults (1–0) struck out three and walked two, throwing 86 pitches, and he also got his first major league hit.He was 10–11 with a 4.23 ERA this season at Triple-A Las Vegas, then allowed three runs and five hits over three innings in his major league debut Tuesday at Milwaukee.