The Yankees, who have won 12 of 15, are tied atop the division with Boston. It is the first time this season New York has been in first place in the AL East.
Derek Jeter was 3-for-4 and reached base five times, and Mark Teixeira added his 12th homer in May. The Yankees had 15 hits.
Alex Rodriguez was 7-for-13 with four RBI in his first series in Texas since admitting earlier this year that he used steroids while playing for the Rangers. For the third straight game, he was greeted with loud boos every time he came to the plate.
Burnett (3-2) won for the first time since April 14. The right-hander allowed three hits, walked four and struck out seven to snap his longest winless drought since the end of the 2005 season.
Derek Holland (1-2) lost in his second career start, allowing 10 hits and six runs in five innings.
Ian Kinsler hit a two-run homer off Jose Veras in the Texas seventh, his 13th of the season.
Matsui, who was in a 3-for-23 funk coming into the series, homered on the first pitch of the sixth inning from Holland. He added a two-run shot in the seventh off Warner Madrigal.
It was Matsui’s third career multihomer game, and first since July 31, 2007, against the Chicago White Sox.
Robinson Cano homered in the ninth, giving the Yankees 77 this season to tie the Rangers for the top total in baseball.
Burnett, who signed a five-year, $82.5 million contract in the offseason, had not won in seven starts. He was 0-6 over his last seven starts with Florida in 2005.
In the sixth, Johnny Damon gave Burnett a hand when he crashed into the wall in left and made a bobbling catch of Josh Hamilton’s line drive.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Reds 6, Astros 1
CINCINNATI - Jay Bruce homered twice and Bronson Arroyo pitched a five-hitter as Cincinnati capped a three-game sweep of Houston.
Bruce was in a 1-for-18 slump when he hit a solo shot off Felipe Paulino (1-4) in the fourth. His two-run homer off the right-hander made it 5-1 in the sixth and put the Reds in position for their first sweep of the Astros in Cincinnati since May 2004.
Bruce completed his breakout game with a run-scoring triple in the eighth off Chris Sampson. Cincinnati has won four in a row for the first time this season.
Arroyo (7-3) gave up four singles, a double and one walk in his seventh career complete game and first this season.
The last-place Astros have dropped seven straight games - their longest skid of the season - and hit a new low point at 18-27.
