Bronx, NY (My Sportsbook) - The New York Yankees will continue their fight for the best record in the American League this evening, when they take on the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the second contest of their four-game set at Yankee Stadium.

New York dropped a 3-2 decision in the opener of the series, which put them one game behind Oakland for the best record in the AL. The Yankees and A's have six games left to play.

Orlando Hernandez (8-5) absorbed the loss for the Yankees, who were beaten for the first time in four games. Hernandez pitched eight frames, allowing three runs on eight hits while striking out eight and walking two.

The New York offense was supplied by Jorge Posada, who knocked in both Yankee runs in the bottom of the third inning.

Alfonso Soriano went homerless for the sixth straight game. He has 39 homers and 41 stolen bases on the year. Soriano is racing the Expos' Vladimir Guerrero to become the fourth player in baseball history with 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in one season.

Guerrero is just two homers away from the mark. The only players to accomplish the feat are Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez.

Aubrey Huff went 1-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored and Ben Grieve chipped in two hits and drove in a run for the D-Rays in the win.

Victor Zambrano (7-8) collected the win for the Devil Rays, who have won three of their last four games against the Yankees. Zambrano pitched six innings, allowing two runs -- neither earned -- on six hits while fanning three and walking three. It was Zambrano's first victory in his last four starts.

Tampa Bay will send big righthander Travis Harper to the hill this evening. This will be just Harper's seventh start in 36 outings this year. His last two outings have been relief appearances, including a no-decision against New York last week. Harper allowed just five hits and one run over three innings in middle relief. The twirler has lost two straight decisions and hasn't won since August 15, a span of eight outings.

Harper has been decent against the Yanks in his first full major league season, going 1-1 with a 4.58 ERA. The hurler has been awful on the road, posting just a 1-6 record with a 5.40 ERA in 16 contests.

New York will reply with veteran righthander Mike Mussina on the mound. Mussina is without a win (0-3) in his last four outings, including a no- decision against Tampa Bay last week. The "Moose" limited the D-Rays to just five hits and one run over seven frames in the contest, while fanning eight and walking two.

Mussina has been terrific against the D-Rays this year, going 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA versus them. For his career, Mussina has registered an 8-3 record with a 3.58 ERA against Tampa Bay.

The Bronx hasn't been all that friendly to Mussina this year, as he is just 6-8 with a 4.62 ERA in 16 outings there.

New York leads the season series, 11-5. The Devil Rays have gone 2-5 in the Bronx this year. Since last season, the Yankees are 13-3 at home against Tampa Bay.

Tampa Bay is 24-51 on the road this season, while the Yankees are 50-28 at home.