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Rays shoot for another home win over hurting Yanks

Wed 14th, May 2008

(Sports Network) - Right-hander James Shields has been a big reason why the Tampa Bay Rays have been one of the biggest surprises in baseball this season.

Tonight, he tries to help the first-place Rays extend their franchise-record home winning streak to 12 games in the third test of their four-game series with the New York Yankees at Tropicana Field.

Shields pitched the best game of his career his last time out. On Friday against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, he tossed a one-hit shutout and struck out eight without walking a batter to improve to 4-2 on the season to go along with a 3.14 earned run average.

The 26-year-old hurler had been pounded by the Boston Red Sox for seven runs and 10 hits in just 3 2/3 frames in his previous start. However, Shields threw a two-hit shutout in his start before that one.

Shields has struggled against the Yankees in his career, though, having gone 0-5 with a 7.83 ERA versus New York. He allowed two runs and eight hits in five innings in a loss to the Yankees earlier this season.

The Rays continued their early season success on Tuesday, as they moved seven games above .500 for the first time in team history thanks to a 2-1, 11-inning win in the second game of this series with the Yanks. Gabe Gross' game-winning single off Mariano Rivera was the difference for Tampa Bay, which took over sole possession of first place in the AL East with Boston's loss in Baltimore.

Akinori Iwamura went 2-for-5 and extended his hitting streak to 11 games for the Rays, who have won six in a row overall. Tampa hasn't lost a home game since falling to Chicago back on April 20.

Tampa Bay starter Edwin Jackson was brilliant despite the no-decision, throwing seven innings and giving up just five hits and a walk while fanning five batters. Troy Percival blew his second save of the year after he surrendered the game-tying home run to Hideki Matsui in the ninth.

J.P. Howell (3-0) got the win after he pitched two innings of no-hit ball.

Jason Giambi went 2-for-2 and drew a pair of walks for the Yankees, who have lost five of seven and fell to fourth place in the division, just a half-game ahead of last-place Toronto. Derek Jeter extended his hitting streak to five games with a stand-up triple in the sixth inning, but was left stranded when Bobby Abreu and Matsui were retired.

Chien-Ming Wang started for New York and went seven strong innings, giving up just one run on seven hits. Rivera (0-1) absorbed the loss after he allowed his first run all season and three hits in just over an inning of work.

Getting the call for the Yanks tonight will be right-hander Mike Mussina, who has won his last four starts. Mussina's latest win came on Thursday against Cleveland, as he allowed three runs and four hits in five innings to improve to 5-3 to go along with a 4.36 ERA.

Mussina defeated the Rays back on April 7 and is 17-7 lifetime against them with a 3.44 ERA in 30 starts.

Despite winning the first two games of this set, the Rays have dropped four of six and six of their last 10 to the Yanks. Tampa is also just 17-27 in the series since the start of the 2006 campaign, including losses in six of its last nine at home to New York.

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