(Best E Casino) - After winning the opener of one of their most important series of the season on Tuesday, the New York Yankees hope to build off that momentum when they continue a three-game set with the American League East- leading Tampa Bay Rays tonight at Tropicana Field.

New York didn't hurt its flickering postseason hopes with last night's 7-2 decision over the Rays, although the Bronx Bombers didn't gain any ground in the AL Wild Card standings either. The Yankees remain seven games in back of rival Boston, which defeated Baltimore on Tuesday, in the race with 24 left to play.

The Yankees have reached the playoffs every year since 1995, a string of 13 consecutive appearances in October.

In last night's triumph, Mike Mussina delivered six-plus effective innings to earn his 17th victory of the season, while Alex Rodriguez and Xavier Nady belted home runs.

Rodriguez ended 2-for-3 with an RBI and three runs scored, while Nady knocked in a pair of runs to help New York post its second straight win following a brief two-game slide and halt a five-game win streak by the Rays.

The home run by Rodriguez was the 548th of his brilliant career, which put the All-Star third baseman into a tie with Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt for 12th place on baseball's all-time list.

Mussina (17-7) held Tampa Bay to two runs despite giving up 10 hits and struck out eight batters.

Matt Garza (11-8) failed to match Mussina on the mound, as the Rays starter was reached for six runs (4 earned) in just five innings of work.

Tampa Bay's lead atop the AL East dwindled to four games with the second-place Red Sox' victory over the Orioles.

The Rays will try to rebound tonight behind red-hot Edwin Jackson. The young right-hander has been one of the AL's best pitchers in the second half and comes in having won six of his last seven starts.

Jackson shined once again in Friday's 3-2 victory over Toronto, limiting the Blue Jays to one run on six hits over seven strong innings. Over his seven most recent mound trips, the 24-year-old is 6-1 with a 2.59 earned run average and has given up two runs or fewer in all but one of those outings.

The hard-throwing Jackson has already faced the Yankees four times this season and has a 2.59 ERA over that stretch, although he's managed only a 1-1 record. In 11 overall appearances (7 starts) against New York, he is 2-2 with a 4.00 ERA.

The Yankees counter with the resurgent Carl Pavano, who's won both his starts since returning to the mound following a 16-month absence after the latest of a string of injuries that have highlighted his rocky tenure with the team.

Pavano allowed three runs over five innings to defeat Baltimore on August 23 in his long-awaited return, then threw a sharp six frames to lead New York to a 2-1 decision over Toronto last Friday. The veteran righty yielded just one run and three hits.

The 32-year-old has made only 21 starts since signing a lucrative four-year contract with the Yankees prior to the 2005 campaign. Pavano missed all of 2006 with a variety of ailments and underwent Tommy John surgery after pitching just twice last season.

Pavano owns a 3-2 record with a 3.48 ERA in six lifetime starts against Tampa Bay.

The Yankees hold an 8-5 advantage in this year's season series with Tampa Bay and have won four of the seven meetings between the clubs at Tropicana Field in 2008.