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Mike Mussina attempts to extend an impressive streak of home supremacy over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays when the New York Yankees hurler starts tonight’s opener of a four-game series between the American League East foes.

Since joining the Bronx Bombers prior to the 2001 season, Mussina has won all seven of his starts against Tampa Bay at Yankee Stadium and amassed an amazing 1.07 earned run average over the course of those games. For his career, the veteran right-hander owns a 16-6 record and a 3.30 ERA in 28 starts versus the Devil Rays.

Mussina wasn’t as sharp when he faced Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field this past Sunday, however. He yielded a season-high 11 hits and did not record a strikeout in six innings, but was able to hold the Rays to three runs and did not factor in the decision of New York’s 7-6 come-from-behind victory.

Edwin Jackson opposed Mussina in that contest and will do so again tonight for the Devil Rays. The young righty also received a no decision after allowing four runs on six hits, including a two-run homer to Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, while striking out six over six innings.

It has been a trying first full season in the big leagues for Jackson, a one- time heralded prospect in the Dodgers organization who has amassed an ugly 1-9 record and 7.14 ERA in 17 starts and one relief appearance this year.

The 23-year-old made his first career start against New York on Sunday after four previous relief outings versus the club. Jackson has no record and a 5.56 ERA over 11 1/3 total innings logged versus the Yanks.

New York enters this set trailing rival Boston by seven games in the AL East standings and has the same deficit to Cleveland in the race for the league’s wild card berth. The Yankees closed the gap with a five-game win streak that came to an end with Thursday’s home 3-2 setback to Toronto.

Chien-Ming Wang held the Blue Jays scoreless over the first six innings, but the Taiwanese star was touched for three runs in the top of the seventh to suffer the loss.

Both Yankee runs came on a two-run double from Bobby Abreu in the first inning. New York mustered just four hits against Toronto starter Dustin McGowan and relievers Casey Janssen and Jeremy Accardo the rest of the way.

Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui was able to extend his hitting streak to 14 games with a sixth-inning single.

Tampa Bay comes in off its first series win in nearly a month, as the Rays took two of three games with the AL West-leading Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Tropicana Field. The Angels averted a sweep, however, with a 3-0 victory on Thursday.

Kelvim Escobar scattered nine hits and three walks over 7 2/3 innings for Anaheim, while Francisco Rodriguez threw a 1-2-3 ninth for his 25th save of the campaign.

The Devil Rays, who stranded 10 baserunners, received three hits from Carl Crawford and a 2-for-4 performance out of Delmon Young.

Andy Sonnanstine (1-5) pitched well in a hard-luck defeat, as the Tampa rookie gave up three runs on eight hits while striking out six without a walk over seven frames.

Since taking two of three matchups with the Dodgers from June 22-24, the Devil Rays have lost 17 of 21 games.

These divisional inhabitants have split eight meetings so far in 2007, including a pair of games in a rain-shortened series at Yankee Stadium to begin the season. The Yankees won three of four encounters with Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field last weekend.

The Cleveland Indians aim for a sixth consecutive victory over the Texas Rangers when the clubs play the second test of a four-game series tonight at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

The struggling Indians picked up a much-needed win in Thursday’s opener, with Grady Sizemore belting a tie-breaking solo home run in the sixth inning to help the Tribe post a 7-5 decision.

Sizemore finished 2-for-5 with a pair of RBI for Cleveland, which had dropped seven of its last 11 games and needed to keep pace with the red-hot Detroit Tigers in the AL Central standings. Trot Nixon and Ben Francisco also knocked in two runs each in the triumph.

C.C. Sabathia became the first 13-game winner in the majors with a steady and unspectacular performance for the Indians. The All-Star lefty, who was coming off back-to-back subpar starts, allowed four runs (three earned) on nine hits in six innings.

Cleveland’s Ryan Garko doubled in his final at-bat to extend his hitting streak to 13 games. The first baseman is batting .467 (21-for-45) with three homers and 10 RBI over that span.

Gerald Laird hit a two-run homer for the Rangers, who have lost two straight after winning their previous three games. Travis Metcalf and Mark Teixeira each drove in a run in the loss.

Texas starter Kameron Loe (5-8) was touched for six runs on six hits in six innings of work.

Cleveland has now won five straight matchups with Texas dating back to last season. The Indians swept a two-game set from the Rangers at Jacobs Field in April and are now 5-2 in their last seven games in Arlington.

The Indians remained two games behind first-place Detroit in the division with Thursday’s win and own a 1 1/2-game edge on Seattle for the top spot in the AL wild card standings. The club has not been able to record consecutive victories, however, since putting together a six-game win streak from June 28- July 3.

Cleveland sends out one of its top hurlers in an effort to change that stat, as Fausto Carmona puts a personal three-start win streak on the line when he takes the mound tonight.

After ending a successful first half with wins over Tampa Bay and Toronto, Carmona delivered another strong effort to defeat the Royals on Sunday. The Dominican righty yielded just two runs on eight hits over seven innings to lead the Tribe to a 5-3 win.

Carmona has posted a 2.94 earned run average and hasn’t allowed a home run during his three-start run.

The 23-year-old has faced the Rangers once during his brief career and suffered the loss in an encounter at Jacobs Field on April 29, 2006. Carmona was tagged for six runs on eight hits by Texas over 5 2/3 innings of work.

The Rangers will give the ball tonight to Brandon McCarthy, who hopes to end a lengthy winless drought. The right-hander has not won since a May 20 decision at Houston, having registered two losses, three no decisions and a 5.16 ERA following that victory.

In his most recent start, McCarthy gave up four runs (three earned) on six hits in a six-inning no decision in Anaheim.

McCarthy does own a 3-1 career record against the Indians despite a 6.16 ERA in 10 lifetime games, two of which have been starts. He tossed two scoreless innings of relief at Jacobs Field back in April.

Texas will play again tonight without All-Star shortstop Michael Young, who is in California attending the funeral of his wife’s grandmother. Young is expected to return to the team in time for Saturday’s contest.

After receiving a double dose of bad news on Thursday, the St. Louis Cardinals will try to get back on their feet when the 2006 world champs continue a four-game series with the Atlanta Braves tonight at Turner Field.

The Cardinals learned yesterday that ace pitcher Chris Carpenter needs to undergo Tommy John surgery on his troublesome elbow and will miss the remainder of this season, as well as a significant portion of 2008. St. Louis then proceeded to get smoked by the Braves in the opener of this weekend set.

Atlanta scored 10 times over the first four innings en route to an easy 10-1 victory. Andruw Jones and Matt Diaz each homered and knocked in three runs, with Diaz ended 3-for-4 on the evening and Jones scoring three times.

Chipper Jones added a pair of hits and three runs scored to help the Braves rebound from an embarrassing three-game home sweep by Cincinnati. Jeff Francoeur contributed two hits and two RBI to the winning effort.

Julio Franco delivered a two-run single in the ageless veteran’s first game back in a Braves uniform. The 48-year-old, who played for Atlanta from 2001-05, had been released by the Mets earlier this month.

Tim Hudson (10-5) cruised to his 10th victory of 2007 by limiting St. Louis to a run on five hits over seven innings of work.

Cardinals starter Mike Maroth (0-3) wasn’t nearly as effective, as the lefty was battered for 10 runs and 11 hits in five innings.

St. Louis, which had won three of four prior to Thursday’s rout, was without third baseman Scott Rolen (shoulder) for a second consecutive game. However, center fielder Jim Edmonds was activated from the disabled list and went 1- for-3 in his first action since June 15.

The Cardinals turn to ex-Braves farmhand Adam Wainwright tonight in hopes of getting back on track. The right-hander was Atlanta’s first-round choice in the 2000 draft and pitched in the Braves system until being dealt to the Cardinals in December, 2003 as part of the trade that landed J.D. Drew in Atlanta.

Wainwright, a native of Brunswick, Georgia, will be making his first career start versus the Braves. He did throw four scoreless innings over three relief appearances against Atlanta as a rookie last season.

The 25-year-old has also been pitching very well as of late. Wainwright fired seven shutout innings to defeat the Phillies last Sunday and is 3-1 with a 3.24 earned run average over his four most recent starts.

Atlanta counters with a Georgia product of its own in Chuck James, who sports an identical 8-7 season record as Wainwright and is also in the midst of a good recent stretch.

James has yielded just two runs in 17 2/3 innings over his last three starts. The left-hander recorded back-to-back road wins over the Marlins and Dodgers to close out his first half, then came through with six shutout innings against Pittsburgh last Saturday.

The 25-year-old allowed just two hits and three walks in that game but did not factor in the decision of Atlanta’s 5-4 win.

James’ lone career appearance against the Cardinals came on July 5, 2006 at Turner Field. He wound up with the victory after giving up four runs over six innings of a 14-4 Atlanta triumph.

Thursday’s contest was the first 2007 meeting between these teams. Atlanta won four of six matchups with St. Louis last season and is 5-1 in its last six games against the Cardinals at Turner Field.

The Detroit Tigers take aim at their fifth straight win this evening when they open a three-game series with the Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park.

Detroit enters this tilt after sweeping the Minnesota Twins, culminating with Thursday’s 4-3 win in 10 innings that secured the Tigers’ first sweep at the Metrodome in nearly eight years.

Brandon Inge’s RBI double in the 10th proved to be the game-winner, while Placido Polanco finished 3-for-6 with an RBI and scored a run for Detroit, which won for the 10th time in its last 12 tries.

Jeremy Bonderman allowed three runs on nine hits with six strikeouts and a walk over 6 2/3 innings for the AL Central leaders. Zach Miner (1-1) tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings for the win, and Todd Jones closed it out in the 10th for his 26th save of the season.

Getting the call for the Tigers tonight will be veteran lefty Kenny Rogers, who was tagged with his first loss of the season in his last trip to the hill. Rogers gave up six runs (five earned) on five hits in five innings to the Seattle Mariners on Saturday, as he slipped to 3-1 on the year, while raising his earned run average to 2.82.

Rogers, who missed the first 11 weeks of the season after having surgery to remove a blood clot in his shoulder, has faced the Royals 53 times (32 starts) and is 20-14 against them with a 3.82 ERA. The most wins he has against any opponent is his 21 against Oakland, which he can tie with a victory tonight.

Kansas City will counter with Gil Meche, who is 6-6 with a 3.69 ERA. Meche started the second half of his season in winning fashion, as he defeated the Cleveland Indians on Saturday to nail down his third straight winning decision. Against the Tribe Meche allowed four runs and eight hits in five innings.

Meche lost to the Tigers earlier in the year and is 5-4 lifetime against them with a 3.89 ERA in 13 starts.

Kansas City comes into this series riding a two-game winning streak after taking the final two games of its three-game set with the Boston Red Sox, including a 6-5 win in Wednesday’s rubber match at Fenway Park.

Billy Butler and Alex Gordon each drove in two runs, while Odalis Perez (5-8) allowed seven hits and five runs with two walks and two strikeouts over five innings to earn his first win since June 18.

Despite occupying the cellar in the AL Central, the Royals have won 12 of their last 19 games.

Detroit has dominated this series since the start of last season, winning 21 of the 27 matchups. However, five of Kansas City’s wins in that time have come in the Motor City.

The National League East-leading New York Mets have found their power stroke and will try to continue their recent success when they resume a four-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight at Chavez Ravine.

The Mets cracked three home runs in Thursday’s series-opening 13-9 win at Dodger Stadium. Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran and Ramon Castro each went deep for New York, which has won four of six and sits 2 1/2 games ahead of the Atlanta Braves in the division standings.

Ruben Gotay had three hits with an RBI and two runs scored, but Mets starting pitcher Tom Glavine failed to move within one win for 300 in his career. Glavine was battered for 10 hits and six runs over just two-plus innings before reliever Aaron Sele tossed three frames to get the victory.

Oliver Perez will make his second start for New York tonight since being activated off the disabled list because of a stiff back.

Perez, who is 8-6 with a 3.13 ERA in 16 starts this season, defeated Cincinnati on Sunday with six decent innings. He gave up two runs and six hits in a 5-2 victory at Shea Stadium.

The left-hander, who is 3-3 in six road starts this season, is 3-4 with a 4.38 ERA in eight career starts against the Dodgers.

Los Angeles lost the lead in the NL West division after last night’s setback, as the San Diego Padres pulled even atop the standings with their 1-0 triumph over the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday.

Dodgers starter Derek Lowe was pounded for 10 hits and nine runs — eight earned — with three walks over three innings to remain winless in his last five outings.

Matt Kemp belted a two-run homer and Jeff Kent added a solo shot for Los Angeles, which has dropped two of its last three games.

Taking the ball for LA tonight will be Brett Tomko, who is 2-7 with a 5.88 ERA in 27 games (nine starts) this season.

On Sunday against San Francisco, Tomko pitched five innings for the win in his first start since May 21 against Milwaukee. He yielded four hits and three runs, one of which was earned, during the 5-3 victory.

The right-hander pitched a perfect inning of relief against New York on June 13 and is 4-7 with a 5.26 earned run average in 17 career appearances (13 starts) versus the Mets.

Tomko, though, is 0-5 in 14 games, including four starts, at home this season.

The Dodgers swept a three-game series against New York this season from June 11-13 at Chavez Ravine. The Mets went 4-3 against LA in the 2006 series and swept Los Angeles in three games during last October’s NL playoffs.

Left-hander Billy Traber makes his first start of the season in a replacement role when the Washington Nationals host the Colorado Rockies in game two of a four-game series tonight at RFK Stadium.

The 27-year-old, a former first-round pick of the New York Mets, has made 23 appearances in relief this season, throwing 26 innings and allowing 31 hits and 13 runs.

He’s filling in for journeyman starter Jason Simontacchi, who was scratched with right elbow tendinitis.

Traber made eight starts for the Nationals over 15 appearances last season and started 18 times in 33 appearances with the Cleveland Indians in 2003.

He pitched four innings in one career start against the Rockies, allowing five hits and two runs.

Aaron Cook looks for his first win in three starts for Colorado, following a six-inning outing against Milwaukee on July 15 that ended in a no-decision after he’d given up four hits and two runs.

The Kentucky native’s last victory came July 3 against the New York Mets, when he gave up two earned runs on seven hits in eight innings.

One start later, he was raked for 12 hits and five runs in an 8-4 loss to Philadelphia.

Cook has made five lifetime appearances against the Nationals, posting a 3.71 earned run average in 17 innings.

On Thursday, pinch-hitter D’Angelo Jimenez slapped a game-winning single in the bottom of the 10th inning as Washington escaped with a 5-4 victory.

Austin Kearns led off the 10th by singling to right off LaTroy Hawkins (1-5). Kearns then advanced to second on Brian Schneider’s sacrifice bunt before moving to third when Hawkins uncorked a wild pitch. Jimenez then rifled a single up the middle to win it.

Jesus Flores drove in a pair of runs for the Nationals, who have won six of nine games. Ryan Zimmerman and Ryan Langerhans added an RBI apiece for Washington.

Matt Chico started on the hill and surrendered four runs on seven hits over six innings en route to a no decision. Jon Rauch (4-2) earned the win after hurling a perfect 10th.

Troy Tulowitzki and Garrett Atkins both hit two-run home runs for the Rockies, who lost for the first time in four games.

Ubaldo Jimenez, who was making his 2007 debut for Colorado, allowed two runs on four hits in five-plus innings of work as the starter.

Colorado won all eight meetings between the teams during the 2006 campaign. The Rockies also won four encounters at RFK Stadium over that span.

Embattled southpaw Scott Olsen makes his first in-game appearance since a two-game team suspension tonight when the Florida Marlins host the Cincinnati Reds in game two of a four-game series at Dolphin Stadium.

Olsen, 23, was sidelined for two games by Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez for insubordination and conduct detrimental to the team. The penalty stemmed from an incident occurring after Olsen was lifted from his last start, a 5-3 defeat of Washington on July 15.

Nonetheless, the victory was the third in five decisions for the former sixth- round draft pick, who began the season with five losses in his first nine decisions.

Olsen, who’s never faced the Reds, is 5-2 in 10 home starts this year with a 4.37 earned run average in 59 2/3 innings.

Kyle Lohse starts for the Reds and looks to end his own struggles away from home.

The 28-year-old Californian is just 2-8 in 11 starts as a visitor in 2007, posting a 6.53 ERA in 62 innings.

He was touched for six hits and five runs over 4 2/3 innings in his last start, a 5-2 loss to the New York Mets on July 15 at Shea Stadium.

Lohse won his lone career start against Florida, allowing three hits and a run in six innings.

On Thursday, Ryan Freel’s three-run homer in the eighth lifted CIncy to a 7-5 win. Adam Dunn knocked in a pair of runs while Javier Valentin went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored for the Reds, who have won four in a row.

Miguel Olivo and Josh Willingham both went deep for Florida, which has dropped three of four.

Cincinnati coughed up an early three-run lead, and was trailing 5-3 heading into the eighth. Valentin started the frame off with a double, though, and Edwin Encarnacion followed with a single. Norris Hopper came up next and brought one run in with a base hit.

Jeff Keppinger then put down a sacrifice bunt before Freel launched an Armando Benitez (2-5) offering over the left-field wall.

Todd Coffey (2-1) and David Weathers shut the door from there, with Weathers working the ninth for his 19th save.

Matt Belisle got the start for the Reds and allowed five runs over 4 2/3 frames. His opponent, Sergio Mitre, yielded three runs over six-plus innings.

Cincinnati won four of six from the Marlins last season and is 11-8 against them since the start of the 2004 campaign. The Reds have also won seven of their last 10 in South Beach.

Right-hander John Lackey can equal his win total from last year and climb within one of his career best tonight when the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim open a three-game series at the Metrodome with the Minnesota Twins.

Lackey, a second-round draft pick in 1999, posted personal bests of 14 wins in both 2004 and 2005, then went 13-11 in 33 starts last season. He enters tonight’s game one win shy of the American League lead of 13.

In his last start, on July 14, he allowed seven hits and three earned runs in defeating Texas, 9-5.

He dropped an 8-5 decision to the Twins on June 6 and is 4-4 lifetime in 10 starts against Minnesota.

Venezuelan right-hander Carlos Silva looks for his second straight strong outing.

In his last start, on July 14 against Oakland, he gave up just two hits and three earned runs in a 4-3 defeat of the Athletics.

Silva had been roughed up in two starts prior to the win, losing to the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox while allowing 19 hits and 10 earned runs in 10 1/3 innings.

He is 4-1 in seven lifetime games - six starts - against the Angels with a 3.86 earned run average in 44 1/3 innings.

On Thursday at Tampa Bay, Kelvim Escobar tossed 7 2/3 scoreless innings for his career-best fifth straight winning decision, as the Angels avoided a three-game sweep at the hands of the Devil Rays with a 3-0 shutout in a matinee from Tropicana Field.

Escobar (11-3), who has allowed three runs or less in seven of his eight most recent starts, scattered nine hits while fanning five and walking three. Francisco Rodriguez tossed a perfect ninth for his 25th save this season.

Garret Anderson finished 2-for-4 with two RBI for the Angels, who snapped a three-game skid. Gary Matthews Jr. ended 2-for-4 and scored a run in the win.

In Minnesota, Brandon Inge doubled in the winning run in the 10th inning, as the Detroit Tigers got their first sweep of the Twins at the Metrodome in nearly eight years with a 4-3 win.

Scott Baker allowed three runs on 10 hits with a walk and three strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings for Minnesota.

Jason Kubel homered for the Twins, who had won four straight entering this series. Jason Bartlett and Justin Morneau both added a pair of hits in the loss.

The Angels took two of three from the Twins earlier in the season and are 17-11 in the series since the start of the 2004 campaign. They are also 9-7 at the Metrodome in that time.

Major league strikeout leader Erik Bedard will take the mound for the Baltimore Orioles this evening in the opener of a three-game series against the Oakland Athletics from McAfee Coliseum.

Bedard, who has 156 strikeouts in 2007, is 8-4 with a 3.22 ERA in 20 starts this season. He is an impressive 4-0 with a 2.21 earned run average over his last six trips to the mound.

The left-hander is also 5-1 in 11 road starts this season and defeated the Chicago White Sox his last time out on July 13 at Camden Yards. Bedard pitched seven shutout innings of three-hit ball during a 2-0 victory over the Pale Hose.

Bedard hasn’t fared too well against Oakland this season, however, going 0-2 with a 5.39 ERA in two starts. For his career, Bedard is 0-3 with a 4.66 earned run average in six starts against the A’s.

The Orioles just dropped two of three at Seattle after taking three of four from the White Sox last weekend. In Wednesday’s 6-5 loss to Seattle, Corey Patterson had three hits and an RBI to lead Baltimore.

Bedard was scratched from Wednesday’s scheduled start due to a stiff neck and Daniel Cabrera stood in, allowing eight hits and five runs over five innings of work. Danys Baez was saddled with the loss in relief.

Joe Blanton gets the call tonight for the A’s and is 8-6 with a 3.36 ERA over 20 starts this season.

Blanton has dropped his last two starts, including last Saturday’s appearance against Minnesota, and has compiled a 5.92 ERA over that span. He was reached for 10 hits and four runs by the Twins in 7 2/3 innings during a 4-3 setback at the Metrodome.

The right-hander faced Baltimore once this season on May 27 and was saddled with the loss, permitting eight runs and 10 hits in six innings of an 8-4 defeat at Camden Yards. In four career starts against the Orioles, Blanton is 1-1 with a 4.88 earned run average.

Oakland put to rest a nine-game losing streak with Wednesday’s 6-0 win over the Texas Rangers in the finale of a three-game series at McAfee Coliseum. Bobby Crosby homered and drove in two runs and Mark Ellis was 2-for-3 with a run scored for the Athletics, who won for the first since defeating the Seattle Mariners at home by a 3-2 score on July 5.

Starting pitcher Lenny DiNardo scattered three hits over seven shutout innings for the win in his longest outing of the season.

Oakland is 3-2 against the Orioles this season, but Baltimore has won the last two matchups. The A’s are 20-8 over their last 28 meetings with the O’s.

The Seattle Mariners try to stay right in the thick of the playoff race when they open a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays this evening at Rogers Centre.

The Mariners, who are just two games back of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the AL West standings and 1 1/2 back of Cleveland in the wild-card race, enter this series after taking two of three games from the Baltimore Orioles, including a 6-5 win in Wednesday’s rubber match at Safeco Field.

Orioles reliever Chad Bradford walked Adrian Beltre with the bases loaded in the eighth inning to force in the go-ahead run as Seattle won for the seventh time in its last 10 tries.

Sean Green (3-1) threw 1 1/3 scoreless frames for the win, while closer J.J. Putz continued his dominance by retiring the side in order in the ninth for his 28th save in as many chances this season.

Putz is 30-for-30 in save opportunities since last year - a club record - and has thrown 21 consecutive scoreless innings over 15 appearances since June 2, surrendering just seven hits and three walks while striking out 26 over that span.

Miguel Batista will toe the rubber for Seattle tonight and is trying to win for the third time in four starts. Batista picked up the win against the Detroit Tigers on Saturday, as he allowed a run on five hits in six innings to run his record to 9-7 while lowering his earned run average to 4.38.

Batista, who pitched two seasons in Toronto from 2004-05, defeated the Blue Jays earlier in the year and is 2-2 lifetime against them with a splendid 1.19 ERA in four games (three starts).

Toronto will counter with rookie Jesse Litsch, who is coming off a superb effort against the Boston Red Sox on Sunday. Litsch outdueled Josh Beckett in that one, as he yielded just a run on nine hits in 6 2/3 innings to improve to 2-3 on the season.

Litsch, who is pitching to a 4.02 ERA, has never faced the Mariners.

Toronto salvaged the finale of its four-game series with the New York Yankees on Thursday, as Dustin McGowan rebounded from a rough first inning in a 3-2 win. Aaron Hill was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored for the Blue Jays, who put the brakes on a three-game slide and won for only the second time in their last six tries.

McGowan (6-5) gave up two runs on a hit and two walks in the first, then allowed only three more hits the rest of the way. Jeremy Accardo shut the door on the Yankee comeback hopes in the ninth for his 14th save.

Seattle swept a three-game set from the Blue Jays earlier this season, but is just 13-18 in the series since the start of the 2004 campaign. The Mariners have also struggled north of the border, where they have won just four times in their last 16 visits.