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Mussina, Yankees aim to take series vs. Devil Rays

Jul 15, 2007 - 2:43 PM NY Yankees (45-44) at Tampa Bay (35-55) 1:40 pm EDT

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (Ticker) -- Bobby Abreu has stepped up for the New York Yankees. Now, they will look to another struggling performer to break out.

Mike Mussina will take the mound for the Yankees when they look to take three out of four against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the series finale between the clubs at Tropicana Field on Sunday afternoon.

Abreu knocked in five runs and Chien-Ming Wang tossed six effective innings to spark the Yankees to a 6-4 victory over the Devil Rays in the third game of a four-game set on Saturday night.

New York acquired Abreu at the July 31 trade deadline last season, but the right fielder has yet to play up to expectations since his arrival. A career .301 hitter, he entered Saturday's contest with a .271 average and just six homers.

But Abreu, who has homered in two of his last three games, has started to turn things around.

The Yankees will look for a similar renaissance from Mussina (4-6, 4.62 ERA), who is looking for his first road victory since May 3. He has gone 0-3 with a 5.27 ERA in his last five outings away from home.

The righthander, who was supposed to be a reliable veteran for New York this season, has lost three of his last four starts, including a 6-2 loss vs. the Minnesota Twins in his last start before the All-Star break on July 4.

He allowed four runs - three earned - and five hits in six innings in that contest.

Mussina will be opposed by Edwin Jackson (1-9, 7.23), who has struggled mightily this season. He yielded seven runs and nine hits in five innings in a 7-5 loss at the Boston Red Sox on July 4.

It will be the first start against the Yankees for Jackson, who had a 5.06 ERA in four appearances out of the bullpen against New York last campaign.