Fresh off splitting a series against the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees (47-42) welcome the first-place Tampa Rays (55-33) into town.
Just seven games into his major-league career, Brett Gardner sent the Red Sox packing on Sunday night with a walk-off single in the 10th inning, helping the Yankees earn a split of the four-game series.
Tonight, the Rays send their ace to the mound.
Scott Kazmir (7-3, 2.63) will get the nod, and he's had great success against New York. On May 15, he pitched six, shutout innings as the Rays defeated the Yankees 5-1 in the Bronx.
Not many Yankee hitters have much success against the left-hander. Alex Rodriguez is one of them, but he can't seem to catch up with Kazmir's fastball. Alex sports a .111 average lifetime against Kazmir, without an RBI.
He'll look to change that tonight, despite being embroiled in a soap opera over his divorce with his wife, Cynthia.
Jorge Posada hasn't hit well lately, but that should change tonight.
In 17 lifetime at-bats versus Kazmir, Posada sports an average near .500, with a home run and five RBI.
The Yankees counter Kazmir with their own ace, Andy Pettitte (9-6, 4.22).
Pettitte will face the Rays on four days rest after pitching against the Red Sox on Thursday.
With Wang still out, Pettitte knows that he is a very important piece in keeping the Yankees in playoff contention this season. For the most part, he has done that.
However, he struggled against the Red Sox on Thursday night, allowing five runs and nine hits in four-and-two-thirds innings pitched.
The Yankees seem to be coming around after a closed-door meeting with Girardi, following their series-opening loss to the Red Sox.
They took both weekend games to stay in contention, and they look to keep their winning streak going with their last two home games before the All-Star Game hits the Bronx next week.
"The biggest thing for our club is to keep doing what you're doing," Girardi said. "Don't look at the other teams. Worry about yourself. And that's what we have to do."
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