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New York Yankees are making moves to reach the postseason for a 14th consecutive season. How they fare against the
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim over the next few weeks may go a long way in determining if that happens.
The Yankees have yet to play the Angels this season, but will face them 10 times the rest of the way. However, seven of those contests will be contested in the Bronx, starting with tonight's opener of a four-game series at Yankee Stadium.
New York should have its newest addition in the lineup this evening, as catcher Ivan Rodriguez is expected to be behind the plate. With Jorge Posada sidelined for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury, the Yankees went out and acquired the 14-time All-Star from Detroit for reliever Kyle Farnsworth on Wednesday.
In 82 games with the Tigers this season, Rodriguez, a 13-time Gold Glove winner, is hitting .295 with five home runs and 32 RBI.
The Yankees salvaged the finale of their three-game series with the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday, as Bobby Abreu homered twice, doubled, drove in three runs and scored four times in a 13-3 rout.
Joba Chamberlain (4-3) held the Orioles to two runs -- one earned -- on five hits with six strikeouts and no walks in six innings to pick up the win. Alex Rodriguez also homered for the Yankees, who ended a three-game skid.
The Yankees, who are four games back of the first-place Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East and just one behind the Boston Red Sox for the wild card, will have left-hander Andy Pettitte on the hill tonight. Pettitte won his second straight start Saturday against Boston, as he allowed three runs (1 earned) and five hits in six innings to improve to 12-7 and lower his earned run average to 3.76.
Pettitte has faced the Angels 22 times and is 12-6 with a 4.02 ERA.
Los Angeles, meanwhile, steamrolled its way past the Red Sox this week, sweeping them in a three-game series that culminated with a 9-2 win Wednesday at Fenway Park.
Garret Anderson drove in four runs in last night's finale and finished 4-for-5 with a two-run homer and a double, helping the Halos to their seventh win in eight tries.
Mark Teixeira, acquired on Tuesday from the Atlanta Braves for first baseman Casey Kotchman and minor league pitcher Steve Marek, went 0-for-4 with a walk in his Los Angeles debut.
Joe Saunders (14-5) allowed two runs on five hits with three walks and two strikeouts over six innings to pick up the win for the Angels. With the victory, the southpaw moved into a tie with Arizona's Brandon Webb, Colorado's Aaron Cook and Cleveland's Cliff Lee for the major league lead.
The Angels own baseball's best mark at 67-40 and hold an 11 1/2 game advantage on the Texas Rangers in the AL West.
Getting the call for Los Angeles tonight will be right-hander Jon Garland, who is 9-6 with a 4.30 ERA. Garland picked up the win on Saturday in Baltimore, as he held the Orioles to five runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 frames.
Garland is 3-5 lifetime against the Yankees with a 4.26 ERA in nine starts.
The Angels won six of nine from the Yanks last season, including four of six in New York.
