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Yankees-Angels Preview

Jul 9, 2009 - 11:01 PM By ANTHONY GIORNALISTA STATS Senior Writer

New York (50-34) at Los Angeles (46-37), 10:05 p.m. EDT

Mark Teixeira's first home run in nearly a month helped the New York Yankees continue their road success. A matchup with Los Angeles Angels pitcher Joe Saunders may give the All-Star first baseman a good opportunity to connect again.

Teixeira and the Yankees look to extend their road winning streak to nine for the first time in 11 years as they open a three-game series with the Angels and their struggling starter Friday night.

Teixeira ended a 23-game homerless drought as New York (51-34) completed a season sweep of Minnesota on Thursday with a 6-4 win. His 21st homer of the season and first in 96 at-bats helped the Yankees go 7-0 versus the Twins and extend their road winning streak to eight.

"I'm a streaky home run hitter, and they come in bunches," Teixeira said. "And after hitting a bunch in a row it took a while to get another one."

Teixeira will be making his first appearance in Anaheim after leaving the Angels for the Yankees in the offseason. He went 1 for 11 against the Angels as New York took two of three at Yankee Stadium from April 30-May 2.

New York hasn't won nine in a row away from home since 1998. The Yankees, though, have struggled on the road against the Angels (46-37) in recent years, losing 16 of their last 22 games - including two defeats in three contests of a divisional playoff series in 2005 that Los Angeles won.

Though Teixeira has not been driving in many runs, the Yankees are averaging 7.1 per game during their road winning streak.

Teixeira is batting .342 with four homers in 79 at-bats against left-handers this season. He has two singles in nine at-bats versus Saunders, a southpaw who has been having trouble keeping the ball in the park.

Saunders (8-5, 4.44 ERA) is 1-1 with a 7.59 ERA in his last four outings, surrendering nine home runs during that span. The Angels, however, have won three of those four games.

"The way to not give up home runs is to get ahead of hitters, to really get them off balance," Saunders said. "I haven't been doing that lately and they've been making me pay for it. I have to make an adjustment and keep the damn ball down."

The left-hander gave up two homers Sunday, allowing six runs in 5 1-3 innings of Los Angeles' 9-6 win over Baltimore.

Saunders is 1-1 with a 7.63 ERA in three starts versus the Yankees, allowing three homers.

New York will counter with Joba Chamberlain (4-2, 4.04), who is coming off one of his worst starts of the season. He gave up a career-high eight runs - three earned - and nine hits in 3 2-3 innings before New York rallied for a 10-8 win over Toronto on Sunday.

That performance raised his ERA at home to 5.36. On the road, though, the right-hander is 4-0 with a 2.74 ERA in seven starts.

This will be Chamberlain's first start against the Angels. He's faced them twice in relief, striking out six in three scoreless innings.

Chamberlain will be facing an Angels team that lost 8-1 to Texas on Wednesday night after averaging 8.5 runs in winning three of its previous four.

Los Angeles was without Vladimir Guerrero (knee) and Torri Hunter (abductor). Their status for Friday's game is uncertain.

Johnny Damon should be back in the Yankees' lineup after being given Thursday off. Manager Joe Girardi said Damon, in a 1-for-11 slump, has been nursing a sore calf and knee.