(Best E Casino) - Chien-Ming Wang targets his first win in more than a month this evening when the New York Yankees play the first of three games against the Oakland Athletics at McAfee Coliseum.

Wang had his fourth shaky outing in a row on Thursday against Toronto, as he surrendered seven runs (six earned) and five hits in 4 1/3 innings. He also walked four batters, but did not get a decision in his team's 9-8 win.

The 28-year-old right-hander, who is 6-2 with a 4.57 earned run average this season, hasn't won since beating Seattle back on May 2 and has allowed 23 runs on 27 hits with 14 walks over his last four starts, spanning 23 2/3 innings.

Wang has only faced the A's twice and is 1-0 against them with a 1.42 ERA.

Oakland will also have a hurler on the hill tonight that has fallen on hard times of late in left-hander Dana Eveland, who has just one win in his last seven starts. Eveland, who is 4-4 with a 3.82 ERA, had control problems last Tuesday against Detroit, as he walked seven batters in 4 1/3 frames. He allowed three runs and three hits in that one, but did not factor in the decision of his team's 5-4 win.

Eveland has never faced the Yankees.

Oakland salvaged the finale of its three-game set with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Sunday, as Mark Ellis belted his third career grand slam in the bottom of the 12th inning, lifting the A's to a 7-3 win.

With one away in the 12th, Gregorio Petit broke a stretch of 15 A's batters retired with a liner over the glove of shortstop Maicer Izturis. Rajai Davis then sliced a single to right field, but Emil Brown went down on strikes. A walk to Travis Buck loaded the bases and Ellis drove the first pitch he saw from Chris Bootcheck off the left field foul pole for his second career game- ending home run.

Rich Harden gave up three runs on six hits with nine strikeouts and three walks in six innings of work for Oakland. Brad Ziegler (1-0) hurled the final 1 2/3 innings to pick up the win.

Eric Chavez finished 3-for-4 and knocked in two runs for Oakland, which has won five of its last seven games.

The Yankees, meanwhile, lost in dramatic fashion on Monday, as Jose Guillen's ninth-inning home run off of Mariano Rivera carried the Kansas City Royals to a 3-2 win at Yankee Stadium.

Alex Rodriguez belted a two-run homer for the Yankees, who are back at the .500 mark (32-32) for the 22nd time this season.

It was also the second go-ahead homer allowed by Rivera (2-2) this series. Rivera gave up a ninth-inning homer to David DeJesus on Saturday, but the Yankees got their ace reliever off the hook by rallying with a pair of runs to notch a 12-11 victory. They tried again on Monday, but came up just short.

Rodriguez reached on an infield base hit to start the bottom of the ninth against Joakim Soria and Jason Giambi drew a one-out walk. After Robinson Cano struck out, Chad Moeller was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Melky Cabrera, who grounded out to first to end the game.

Oakland won four of its six matchups with the Yankees last season and is 10-5 against them over the past two seasons, including a 4-2 mark at home in that span.