Chien-Ming Wang shut down the Cleveland Indians’ powerful lineup, Robinson Cano homered off hard-luck loser Paul Byrd, and the Yankees stopped their four-game slide by squeaking out a 1-0 victory last night.

Meeting for the first time this season, the Indians and Yankees entered tied for the major league lead with 359 runs apiece. But Wang and Byrd silenced the offenses in an old-fashioned pitchers’ duel, and New York’s bullpen closed it out.

After stranding five runners in his first two at-bats, Cano connected on a 1-1 pitch from Byrd with one out in the sixth, sending a drive over the rightfield fence.

The Indians had their best scoring chance in the top half, when Grady Sizemore led off with a double and moved to third on a long flyout. But after an intentional walk to Travis Hafner, Wang got streaking slugger Victor Martinez to ground into an inning-ending double play.

Aaron Boone reached on an infield single to start the eighth and advanced on a sacrifice,chasing Wang.Mike Myers and Kyle Farnsworth got out of the inning unscathed, and Mariano Rivera worked a hitless ninth for his 13th save in 14 chances.

With his sinking fastball darting down in the strike zone, Wang (7-2) pitched five-hit ball for 7.1 innings, improving to 6-1 with a fill-in save in his past nine appearances.

He walked one, struck out three and has allowed only one run in 14.1 innings over his last two starts – against Boston and Cleveland.

This performance was especially important for the Yankees, who had dropped four straight — all at home – to match their longest skid of the year.

The Indians have lost four of five and seven of 10.

Byrd yielded six hits and three walks in seven innings. He struck out six, tying a season high.

The Yankees put their leadoff batter on in each of the first five innings but Byrd pitched out of trouble.He stranded seven runners in the first four innings – four in scoring position.

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SOX PUT FOULKE ON DL The Boston Red Sox placed reliever Keith Foulke on the 15-day disabled list yesterday and activated Mike Timlin.

Foulke, who is 2-1 with a 5.63 ERA in 29 appearances with the Red Sox this season, went on the DL retroactive to Monday. He had an MRI on his elbow on yesterday and manager Terry Francona said he expected to have the results back today. Right now, the team is calling Foulke’s injury elbow tendinitis.

“I have a feeling that it’s been developing,” Francona said before the Red Sox opened a three-game series in Minnesota against the Twins. “He didn’t say anything to anybody, but my guess is that it’s been bothering him on and off. That’s just my guess. I don’t think these types of things just creep up after an inning.”

Timlin was put on the disabled list on May 26 with a right shoulder strain after going 3-0 with a 1.40 ERA in 21 appearances this season.

“Getting Timlin back will really help,” Francona said. “It gives us a couple guys at the end you can kind of point to. He’s been so consistent – you know what you’re getting, which is huge.”