The New York Yankees were just swept at home by the Boston Red Sox and now travel for an important two-game series against Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field

New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays

New York has dropped a season-high five straight games after ending a homestand with a 7-5 loss to Boston Sunday night.  “Not good,” said Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez.  “We can talk about it over and over again, but we’ve got to play winning baseball.”  It’s just the second time that the club has lost five consecutive under current manager Joe Girardi and it has happened just five times over the last 11 seasons.  New York has played just 14 road games on the year, which qualifies as the fewest in the Majors.  Plenty of controversy has swirled around the locker room due to designated hitter Jorge Posada taking himself out of the lineup Saturday.  Don’t expect to see him in the starting this evening, considering he’s 0 for 24 against lefties during the 2011 campaign.  New York is 8-7 versus divisional foes this season.

Yankees starting pitcher A.J. Burnett will be making his ninth start of the season, bringing in a solid 4-2 record and 3.38 ERA.  The right-hander owns a 12-7 record and 3.15 ERA in 25 career starts against Tampa Bay, tied for the most wins and marking his most starts against any opponent.  Burnett has held Rays’ hitters to a .209 batting average over his career, which is the third-lowest all-time for a pitcher with a minimum of 100 innings pitched against them.  He registered a 1-3 mark and 6.27 ERA in four overall starts versus the Rays last season.

Tampa Bay sits atop the division despite carrying a 10-12 home record into this series and dropping two of the last three games of a weekend series against Baltimore at Tropicana Field.  The Rays have failed to score more than five runs in any of their 22 home games.  “It’s no fun,” manager Joe Maddon stated.  “I’ve really tried to analyze it and think it all the way through.  It’s just strange.”  Tampa Bay has still won seven of its last 10 games and lead the American League with a .271 batting average since April 11.    The club is 14-8 in night games this year and 142-110 in that situation the past three seasons.

Rays starting pitcher David Price is 5-3 with a 3.12 ERA in eight starts this season, issuing just nine walks and registering 47 strikeouts in 57 2/3 innings of work.  The left-hander is 19-4 (.826) lifetime versus the American League East, which happens to be the best record by any active pitcher against any division (20 minimum decisions).  Price has posted a 3-1 record and 3.38 ERA in eight games (seven starts) against New York, allowing them to hit for a dismal .191 average.

Bettors will be interested in backing the Rays due to their 23-5 record in Price’s 28 starts versus the division, while the Yankees are 0-4 in Burnett’s last four road outings