(Best E Casino) - The Tampa Bay Rays try to extend their franchise-record home-winning streak to 11 games this evening, when they continue their four- game series with the New York Yankees at Tropicana Field.

Tampa moved six games above .500 for the first time in team history on Monday, as Matt Garza threw seven shutout innings in a 7-1 victory. Jonny Gomes had two hits with an RBI and scored three times for Tampa Bay, which has won five in a row overall.

The Rays (22-16), who now sit a half-game behind Boston for first place in the AL East, also got three hits and two RBI from Dioner Navarro. Jason Bartlett added a two-run triple for Tampa Bay, which won for the 14th time in its last 19 contests.

Garza (2-1) allowed five hits, walked one and fanned three before being removed after throwing 108 pitches in his longest outing of the season.

Andy Pettitte (3-4) was pounded for eight hits and five runs over four innings to suffer a rare loss against the Rays. The lefty fell to 14-4 lifetime versus Tampa Bay and had his seven-game Tropicana Field winning streak broken. It was his first road loss versus the Rays since September 16, 1998.

Alberto Gonzalez had two of the six hits for the Yankees, losers in four of their last six games. To make matters worse, the club learned that star third baseman Alex Rodriguez will be out a little longer with his strained quadriceps and will likely miss this weekend's series with the New York Mets.

Extending the streaks may be easier said than done tonight for the Rays, who have dropped four of five and six of their last nine to the Yanks. Tampa is also just 16-27 in the series since the start of the 2006 campaign, including losses in six of its last eight at home to New York.

Tampa will also have its hands full tonight when it faces Yankees ace Chien- Ming Wang, who is coming off his first loss of the season. Wang was defeated by the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday, when he allowed three runs and five hits in seven innings. That dropped him to 6-1 on the year and raised his earned run average to 3.12.

Wang picked up a win over the Rays earlier in the season and is 7-4 lifetime against them with a 3.53 ERA in 12 starts.

The Rays will counter with righty Edwin Jackson, who is winless in his last five starts and 2-3 with a 4.04 ERA on the season. Jackson received a no decision against the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday, despite pitching eight scoreless innings during his team's 8-3 win.

Jackson lost to the Yanks back on April 5 and is 2-2 in his career against them with a 5.40 ERA in nine games, five of which have been starts.