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Mariners, Yankees battle for wild card supremacy

Sep 3, 2007 - 12:57 PM Seattle (73-62) at NY Yankees (76-61) 1:05 pm EDT

BRONX, New York (Ticker) - The Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees control their own destinies in the American League wild card race when they face off in the opener of a crucial three-game series at Yankee Stadium on Monday afternoon.

The top two teams in the AL wild card standings, the clubs meet for the final three times of the season this week. The Yankees hold a two-game lead over the sliding Mariners entering Monday's play.

Seattle, which had been the wild card frontrunner, has lost a season-high nine straight games. Surprisingly, the upstart Mariners have three skids of at least six games this season.

However, their current slide could not come at worse time. After three contests against New York, Seattle opens a three-game weekend set at the Detroit Tigers (73-64), who are three games behind the Yankees - one behind the Mariners - for the wild card.

Seattle will look to snap out of the doldrums behind Felix Hernandez (10-7 4.08 ERA), who had a rare sub-par start his last time out. The hard-throwing righthander allowed six runs and 13 hits in seven innings of an 8-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Wednesday - his lone defeat in August.

The 21-year-old Hernandez is 0-2 with a 6.94 ERA in two starts against the Yankees in his brief career.

He will be opposed by Roger Clemens (6-5, 4.15), who has not lost since July 28. The future Hall of Famer carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning against the rival Boston Red Sox on Wednesday - yielding just two hits and one run while walking five and striking out two in a 4-3 win.

It will be an important start for Clemens, who is 21-12 with an impressive 3.01 ERA in 39 starts against the Mariners in his illustrious career.

The Yankees look to bounce back from losing two out of three to the last-place Tampa Bay Devil Rays this past weekend.

New York trails Boston (82-55) by six games in the AL East.