Game Two: Tampa Bay - Matt Garza (11-9, 3.55) New York - Sidney Ponson (8-5, 5.10)

(Sports Network) - Mike Mussina hopes to move one step closer to his first 20- win season this afternoon, as the New York Yankees begin their final homestand at the current Yankee Stadium with a day/night doubleheader against the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays.

New York finds itself in the unfamiliar role of spoiler, as its hopes for a 14th straight postseason appearance have all but gone by the wayside in the final year of the House that Ruth Built - a building that has played host to 37 World Series.

The Yankees, who will begin play across the street in a new state of the art building next season, enter tonight's tilt in fourth place in the East and 11 1/2 back of the Rays, while sitting nine games behind the Boston Red Sox in the Wild Card standings.

Tampa, meanwhile, helped its cause immensely earlier this week, taking the final two tests of their three-game affair with the Red Sox at Fenway Park. The Rays had lost six of seven and saw their lead dwindle to just a half-game before closing out the series with a pair of dramatic wins, including a 4-2 thriller in 14 innings on Wednesday.

Carlos Pena's three-run home run put the Rays up for good and enable Tampa Bay to boost its lead over Boston in the division to 2 1/2 games. The Red Sox won on Friday over Toronto to trim the deficit to two games.

Trever Miller (2-0) got the win by hurling a scoreless 13th inning, while Jason Hammel picked up his first save despite surrendering a run and loading the bases in the 14th.

Mussina, meanwhile, has been one of the few bright spots on an otherwise disappointing Yankees team, going 17-8 with a 3.48 earned run average. He had been 11-10 last year and hadn't won more than 15 games since posting a 17-8 ledger back in 2003.

The 39-year-old right-hander, though, lost for the first time in eight starts on Sunday in Seattle, as the lowly Mariners tagged him for four runs and seven hits in six innings.

Mussina has beaten the Rays three times already this season and is 19-7 lifetime against them with a 3.36 ERA in 32 starts.

Tampa will counter in the first game with righty James Shields, who is 12-8 with a 3.64 ERA. Shields did not get a decision last Saturday against the Toronto Blue Jays, as he surrendered three runs and six hits in eight innings of a -4 loss.

Shields has struggled mightily in his seven starts against the Yankees, going 0-6 with a 6.86 ERA. Two of those losses have come this season.

Getting the call for the upstart Rays in the nightcap will be right-hander Matt Garza, who has lost his last two starts. Garza was dealt a hard-luck loss to Toronto on Sunday, as he allowed just a run and six hits in seven innings of a 1-0 setback. He dropped to 11-9 on the year to go along with a 3.55 ERA.

Garza is 1-1 against the Yanks this season and 1-2 lifetime against them with a 4.34 ERA in four games, three of which have been starts.

New York will pin its hopes in game two on righty Sidney Ponson, who is 8-5 with a 5.10 ERA. Ponson picked up his first win in a month Saturday in Seattle, surrendering three runs and five hits over six innings.

Ponson has faced the Rays 26 times (25 starts) and is 8-9 with a 4.19 ERA.

New York just completed a 10-game road trip at 5-5 but lost five of the final seven games on the trek, including a 4-2 setback on Wednesday in Anaheim that gave the Angels their fourth AL West crown in the last five years.

Andy Pettitte (13-13) absorbed the loss for the Yanks, who managed just five hits and scored two or fewer runs for the 46th time this season. Jason Giambi went 1-for-2 with an RBI.

New York has won nine of its 15 matchups with the Rays this season, including four of six held in the Bronx.