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Yankees-Rays Preview

Apr 10, 2010 - 5:15 AM By MATT BECKER STATS Senior Writer

New York (2-1) at Tampa Bay (2-1), 3:10 p.m. EDT

After a disappointing loss in the series opener to the Tampa Bay Rays, the New York Yankees turn to their staff ace to help them bounce back.

Winning in Tampa hasn't come easy for CC Sabathia, however.

Sabathia, who looked shaky in the Yankees' season opener, tries to put an end to his struggles at Tropicana Field when he takes the mound Saturday against the Rays, who seek the best start in franchise history.

After winning the final two contests of a season-opening three-game series against archrival Boston, New York (2-2) dropped Friday's opener at Tampa Bay 9-3.

Mark Teixeira went 0-4 and is without a hit in 16 at-bats - matching the longest hitless stretch to begin a season in his career - as the Yankees lost for the first time since falling to the Red Sox 9-7 in Sunday's season opener.

Sabathia was on the mound opening day, giving up five runs and six hits over 5 1-3 innings, but did not receive a decision.

"It was definitely all on me," Sabathia told the Yankees' official Web site. "Me and (Jorge Posada) have been on the same page. We were clicking a lot early and just missing, trying to make that perfect pitch. It's a fine line, and I definitely screwed it up."

It marked Sabathia's second poor opening-day start since he joined New York for a $161 million, seven-year contract. He was knocked around for six runs, eight hits and five walks while lasting 4 1-3 innings in a 10-5 loss at Baltimore on April 6, 2009.

Sabathia bounced back nicely from that performance, allowing six hits in 7 2-3 shutout innings of a 6-1 win in Kansas City five days later.

Rebounding against Tampa Bay (3-1) might not be so easy, though.

Sabathia went 0-2 with a 5.79 ERA in four starts against the Rays last season, and had absolutely no luck at Tropicana Field. The left-hander lost both of his starts there, getting tagged for 15 runs - 10 earned - with seven walks in 8 1-3 innings.

He is 0-3 with a 4.70 ERA in six starts in Tampa since pitching Cleveland to a win there Aug. 23, 2003.

Ben Zobrist and Evan Longoria were the two Rays players that frustrated Sabathia the most last season. Zobrist went 5 for 9 with a homer, triple and two walks, while Longoria was 3 for 6 with two home runs and three walks.

Zobrist drove in his first run of the season Friday, and Carlos Pena and Willy Aybar each added two-run homers as all nine Tampa batters had at least one hit.

"We just got it going on one at-bat after another," manager Joe Maddon told the Rays' official Web site.

Maddon will give the ball to Wade Davis, who went 2-2 with a 3.72 ERA in six starts as a rookie in 2009, as Tampa Bay looks to open 4-1 for the first time in the franchise's 13-year history.

Davis was a September call-up last season, and showed some signs of brilliance, while also looking awful at times. In his four solid starts, Davis went 2-0 with a 1.26 ERA, but in his other two outings, the right-hander posted a 12.91 ERA in losing each.

One of those poor outings came in the regular-season finale against the Yankees, when he gave up five runs - three earned - and six hits in five innings of a 10-2 loss.