Yankees may not have A-Rod in second test vs. Twins

Jul 3, 2007, 15:05 GMT

- The New York Yankees could be without Alex Rodriguez this evening when they play the second of a four-game set with the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium.

Rodriguez was forced to leave Monday's 5-1 win because of a strained left hamstring. Rodriguez, who finished 0-for-4 in the win, tripped over first baseman Justin Morneau's ankle while beating out a potential double play. He will be re-evaluated on Tuesday.

The two-time AL MVP, who leads the majors with 28 home runs and 80 RBI, has not been on the disabled list since July of 2000, while with the Seattle Mariners.

Roger Clemens was phenomenal for the Yankees in the opener of this set, as the seven-time Cy Young Award winner pitched eight solid innings to nail down the 350th victory of his illustrious career.

Clemens (2-3) retired the last 15 batters he faced, giving up one run on two hits with four strikeouts and one walk. The Twins didn't have a base runner with Clemens on the mound after Joe Mauer's leadoff double in the fourth.

With the victory, Clemens became the eighth member of the elusive wins club, the first since Warren Spahn on September 29, 1963.

Boof Bonser (5-5) matched Clemens for five innings before it all fell apart in the sixth. Starting with Bobby Abreu's go-ahead solo homer, Bonser allowed two more hits before hitting the showers. The right-hander was charged with four runs on nine hits with six strikeouts and three walks over 5 1/3 innings.

Abreu, who had 10 hits over his last 65 at bats (.154) entering Monday's contest, totaled three hits with his fifth home run of the season and Derek Jeter drove in two runs for the Yankees, who won for just the third time in their last 12 games.

Mauer had two hits for Minnesota, losers in two straight after reeling off three wins in a row.

Getting the call for the Yankees tonight will be Taiwanese right-hander Chien- Ming Wang, who is unbeaten in his last six decisions. Wang, who is 7-4 with a 3.86 ERA this season, was roughed up a bit in his last start, though. Against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday, Wang surrendered six runs and nine hits in 6 1/3 innings, but did not factor in the decision of his team's 8-6 win.

Wang has only faced the Twins twice in his career and is 1-0 against them with a 2.57 ERA.

Minnesota will counter with right-handed veteran Carlos Silva, who is 6-8 with a 4.15 ERA. Silva won his second straight start on Thursday, as he held the Toronto Blue Jays to five runs and six hits over seven innings.

Silva is 1-1 lifetime against the Yankees with a 7.31 ERA in three starts.

The Yankees took two of three from the Twins earlier this season and hold a slight 9-7 edge in the series since the start of the 2005 campaign. Minnesota has also won just twice in its last 16 regular season visits to the Bronx since the start of the 2002 season.

© 2007 The Sports Network