The Tampa Bay Rays are still chasing the New York Yankees in the American League East standings. Currently, they trail by five and a half games. What better way to catch up than by beating the Yankees, which is exactly what the Rays have done over the last two days. An Independence Day win would close gap a little more and give Tampa a sweep over the visiting Yankees.
Tampa has its on the hill to close out the series. David Price is 2-1 against New York this season, including a win in his last start against the Yankees at Tropicana Field. Price's back had been bothering him, but he threw a bullpen session prior to Wednesday's start that went well. He won all of his last three starts, going seven innings in each outing.
Opposing Price is rookie David Phelps, making his third start of the season. Phelps is back in the rotation, this time taking the place of the injured CC Sabathia.
B.J. Upton has also factored into this series, going four-for-eight at the plate with a home run to snap a skid that had Rays fans worried whether or not the outfielder was pressing. To keep their current pace and catch the Yankees in the second half of the season, Tampa could really use a hot hitting Upton down the stretch.
The game starts at 3:10 p.m. Fans can watch it on Sun Sports.
Read more about the Rays at DRaysBay. For more in-depth coverage on the other side, visit Yankees blog Pinstripe Alley. Go to Baseball Nation for additional news and notes around the league.