Alex Rodriguez will try again to hit home run #500 on Tuesday night as the Yankees open up a series with the Chicago White Sox. Rodriguez is 0-12 since hitting #499 last Wednesday. He was 0-2 with three walks on Sunday as the Yankees defeated Baltimore. A-Rod has hit 20 of his major league-leading 35 homers at Yankee Stadium. "It would help everybody concerned to get this thing over with," manager Joe Torre said, "He's been increasing his (strike) zone for the last few days. It's human. When you look at all the things he's done, you put human on the back burner because he's seemed so robotic at times." Rodriguez has two homers in 28 at-bats against the White Sox this season. SBG Global reports that early betting has the public taking the favored Yankees at home.
Chicago White Sox (48-57) at New York Yankees (56-49)
Tuesday, 7:05 pm Eastern
The Yankees snapped a three game losing streak on Sunday as Johnny Damon and Melky Cabrera each went 3 for 5. Cabrera is 9-for-18 with six RBIs in his last five games and is batting .384 (5-for-13) in his last three games against the White Sox. Mike Mussina (5-7, 4.77 ERA) looks to win two straight for the first time since May. He allowed one run and six hits in 5 2-3 innings last Wednesday against Kansas City. "I knew where the ball was going and got better counts," Mussina said. "It felt good coming out of my hand." Mussina is 15-16 with a 4.63 ERA in 36 starts against Chicago and 0-1 with a 4.76 ERA in two starts against them this season. The Yankees are 4-3 this season against the White Sox.
The Yankees are -225 favorites with a total of 10.5 Under (-115) at SBG Global.
Jose Contreras (5-13, 6.22) goes for Chicago on Tuesday. He allowed nine runs and 12 hits in 4 2-3 innings of a 13-9 loss to Detroit on Wednesday. "I'm trying to hit my spots and the ball is not moving," Contreras said. He is 2-3 with a 2.50 ERA in five starts against the Yankees. He has lost both his starts versus New York this season.
The White Sox are 5-1 in their last 6 games vs. a right-handed starter. The White Sox are 4-1 in their last 5 Tuesday games. The White Sox are 4-1 in their last 5 games as an underdog. The White Sox are 4-1 in their last 5 vs. a team with a winning record. The White Sox are 5-2 in their last 7 overall. The White Sox are 3-7 in their last 10 vs. the American League East. The White Sox are 3-7 in their last 10 road games. The White Sox are 8-20 in Contreras' last 28 starts. The White Sox are 3-14 in Contreras' last 17 starts as an underdog. The White Sox are 0-6 in Contreras' last 6 starts vs. the American League East. The White Sox are 0-6 in Contreras' last 6 road starts. The White Sox are 0-4 in Contreras' last 4 starts as a road underdog. The White Sox are 2-5 in the last 7 meetings in New York.
The Yankees are 20-6 in their last 26 games as a home favorite. The Yankees are 10-3 in their last 13 home games vs. a right-handed starter. The Yankees are 20-7 in their last 27 home games. The Yankees are 13-5 in their last 18 Tuesday games. The Yankees are 18-7 in their last 25 games as a favorite. The Yankees are 12-5 in their last 17 overall. The Yankees are 2-6 in Mussina's last 8 starts vs. the American League Central. The Yankees are 1-4 in Mussina's last 5 starts during game 1 of a series. The Yankees are 4-0 in Mussina's last 4 home starts vs. the White Sox.
The Under is 4-0 in the White Sox last 4 overall. The Over is 5-2 in the White Sox last 7 games as a road underdog. The Over is 5-2 in the White Sox last 7 road games vs. a right-handed starter. The Over is 5-2 in the White Sox last 7 road games. The Over is 7-3-1 in the White Sox last 11 Tuesday games. The Over is 5-0 in Contreras' last 5 starts as an underdog. The Over is 9-2-1 in Contreras' last 12 starts overall. The Over is 4-1 in Contreras' last 5 starts as a road underdog. The Over is 8-2-1 in Contreras' last 11 starts vs. the American League East.
The Under is 7-1-1 in the Yankees last 9 Tuesday games. The Under is 5-2 in the Yankees last 7 home games vs. a right-handed starter. The Under is 6-1-1 in Mussina's last 8 starts vs. the American League Central. The Under is 5-1 in Mussina's last 6 starts as a home favorite. The Under is 5-1-1 in Mussina's last 7 home starts. The Under is 10-3-1 in Mussina's last 14 starts as a favorite. The Under is 10-4-2 in Mussina's last 16 starts overall. The Under is 6-2 in Mussina's last 8 starts vs. the White Sox. The Under is 5-1-2 in the last 8 meetings between the two teams and the Under is 5-2 in the last 7 meetings in New York.
