• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Red-hot Rodriguez, Yankees go for sweep of Royals

Sep 9, 2007 - 1:09 PM NY Yankees (80-62) at Kansas City (62-79) 2:10 pm EDT

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Ticker) -- Alex Rodriguez is knocking down club records left and right on his way to the Most Valuable Player Award in the American League.

Rodriguez will look to stay hot when the Yankees go for a sweep of a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on Sunday.

Rodriguez, who has homered in four straight games, hit his 50th and 51st blasts of the season in Saturday's 11-5 rout. He has now reached the half-century mark for the third time in his career, previously accomplishing the feat in 2001 and 2002 when he was with the Texas Rangers.

The third baseman is the first Yankee to hit 50 homers since Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle both accomplished the feat in 1961, and he has 49 home runs as the third baseman this season, which breaks the major league record. Mike Schmidt hit 48 for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1980 and Adrian Beltre matched it in 2004 with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Trying to stop Rodriguez for the Royals will be starter Zack Greinke (6-5, 3.87 ERA). The 23-year-old righthander has not allowed a run in his last 19 innings pitched.

The Yankees were the last team to score on Greinke, crossing the plate five times before the youngster could record an out in a relief appearance at Yankee Stadium on August 4.

New York, which owns a three-game lead in the wild card race over the Detroit Tigers (77-65), will counter with ace Chien-Ming Wang (17-6, 3.68). The Tawainese sinkerballer has won his past four starts while allowing just five earned runs in 28 1/3 innings to thrust himself into a tight race for the AL Cy Young award.