Series Preview: Yankees vs. Rays

Yankees - Rays
@ New Yankee Stadium
(four games)

(Sorry, this will again be a brief series preview... Normal previews will resume after this series. )

After a fairly success road trip that saw the Yankees go 5-2, they head home for a ten-game homestand starting with four games against the Rays. The Yankees lead the Division by 7.5 games over Boston, and their magic number is just 19. They also have the best record in baseball by 5 games over the Angels.

At 7 games out of the wild card the Rays are pretty much getting to the point where they have to win almost every game, and recently they've been doing the exact opposite. Even though they're about as healthy has they have been all year, they've lost four in a row, and seven of their last ten. I guess trading away Scott Kazmir must not have been good for their psyche, and maybe we're seeing signs of that.

The biggest question going into this series is when will Jeter tie and pass Gehrig? I say he ties him tonight and passes him tomorrow.

Pitching Matchups

Game 1: Today @ 1:05 p.m. | TV/Radio: YES, WCBS
LHP CC Sabathia (16-7, 3.48) vs. RHP Matt Garza (7-9, 4.01)

Game 2: Tonights @ 7:05 p.m. | TV/Radio: YES, MLB, WCBS
RHP A.J. Burnett (10-8, 4.29) vs. RHP Andy Sonnanstine (6-8, 6.62)

Game 3: Tuesday @ 7:05 p.m. | TV/Radio: My9, WCBS
RHP Chad Gaudin (1-0, 4.08) vs. LHP David Price (7-7, 4.75)

Game 4: Wednesday @ 7:05 p.m. | TV/Radio: YES, ESPN, WCBS
RHP Joba Chamberlain (8-5, 4.41) vs. RHP Jeff Niemann (12-5, 3.67)

Injury Report

YANKEES:
- Brett Gardner, OF: Is back from his rehab stint with the SWB Yankees, and will start game 1 today.
- Chien-Ming Wang, SP: 15-day DL is done for the year after arthriscopic surgery on his shoulder. He will likely be out for 12 months.
- Xavier Nady, RF: Done for year, season-ending Tommy John surgery. 10-12 months to recover.
- Mariano Rivera, CL: Day-to-day with a slightly strained groin. He's likely available to pitch.

RAYS:
- Jason Isringhausen, RP: 60-Day DL with a torn right elbow ligament.
- Troy Percival, RP: 60-Day DL with right shoulder tendinitis.