A-Rod's quest for 500 returns to the Bronx

Jul 31, 2007, 14:55 GMT

- Alex Rodriguez and the New York Yankees have been temporarily cooled off and will begin a six-game homestand with the first of three meetings against the Chicago White Sox this evening in the Bronx.

New York had ripped off six straight wins before dropping the finale of a four-game series with Kansas City and the first two contests of a three-game set against Baltimore. The Yankees, though, salvaged the finale with the Orioles by recording a 10-6 win Sunday at Camden Yards.

Johnny Damon went 3-for-5 with two RBI and four runs scored, while Rodriguez went 0-for-2 and was walked three times.

Rodriguez is still one home run shy of 500 for his career. The 32-year-old is trying to become the youngest player in history to reach that milestone.

Melky Cabrera also had a three-hit day and scored two runs with an RBI for the Yankees, who are four games off the AL wild card lead and eight games behind Boston for the top spot in the American League East division. Starter Chien-Ming Wang yielded nine hits and three runs in six innings for the win.

Taking the ball for the Yankees tonight will be Mike Mussina, who is 5-7 with a 4.77 ERA in 17 starts this season. Mussina was 0-2 in a three-start stretch before earning the win over the Royals on Wednesday, surrendering one run and six hits over 5 2/3 innings of a 7-1 victory.

The right-hander, who is 3-4 in eight starts at Yankee Stadium this season, is 15-16 with four complete games and a 4.63 earned run average in 36 career starts against the White Sox. Mussina is 0-1 with a 4.76 ERA in two starts against Chicago this season.

Meanwhile, the White Sox have lost six of 11 contests and had a three-game winning streak come to an end with Sunday's 4-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays in the finale of a three-game series at U.S. Cellular Field.

Chicago's Javier Vazquez was reached for five hits and four runs -- two earned -- with five strikeouts and three walks in 7 2/3 innings to suffer the loss. Vazquez took a two-hit shutout into the eighth inning before his outing took a turn for the worse.

Jermaine Dye, who has been the subject of recent trade rumors, homered in the loss for Chicago, which is 12 games off the pace in the American League wild card standings.

Struggling starter Jose Contreras will toe the rubber for the Pale Hose this evening and owns a 5-13 record with a 6.22 ERA in 20 starts this season. Contreras has lost six straight starts and has a 9.41 ERA over that span since his last victory on June 18 versus Florida.

The Cuban righty, who is 2-7 in 11 road starts this season, was reached for nine runs and 12 hits through 4 2/3 innings his last time out, a 13-9 loss to Detroit on Wednesday.

Contreras has lost both of his 2007 starts against the Yankees and is 2-3 with a 2.50 ERA in five career outings against them.

New York is 4-3 against the White Sox this season and 8-5 over the previous 13 encounters between the teams.

© 2007 The Sports Network