New York @ Tampa Bay preview

NY Yankees at Tampa Bay

Last Meeting ( Jul 4, 2012 ) NY Yankees 4, Tampa Bay 3

The New York Yankees are slowly watching their once-mammoth lead in the American League East become evaporate. The Yankees have dropped eight of their last 12 - including two of three to Baltimore this past weekend - to see their advantage dwindle to two games over the second-place Orioles. The Yankees may get a boost should slugger Alex Rodriguez return to the lineup Monday as the club opens a three-game set at the Tampa Bay Rays. Rodriguez has been sidelined since July 24 with a broken left hand.

The Rays are laying in the weeds just 3 1/2 games behind the Yankees for the division lead and 1 1/2 behind the Orioles for the second wild card. While offense was the issue for New York in its weekend series, Tampa Bay amassed a season-high 18 hits in Sunday's 9-4 victory over Toronto. The Rays are returning home after a 3-4 road trip.

TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, YES (New York), SUN (Tampa Bay)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees LH CC Sabathia (13-4, 3.40 ERA) vs. Rays RH James Shields (12-8, 3.91)

Sabathia suffered his first loss since June 7 after yielding five runs on nine hits in an 8-5 setback to Toronto on Wednesday. The lefty has allowed five runs in two of his three meetings with the Rays this season. Sabathia recorded a win, loss and no-decision to update his career mark to 10-8 versus Tampa Bay.

Shields saw his four-game winning streak end despite pitching a brilliant outing in his last trip to the mound. The 30-year-old allowed just one solo homer among three hits and struck out eight in seven innings, but suffered a 1-0 loss to Texas on Tuesday. Shields has allowed 20 runs in 23 innings to lose two of three decisions to the Yankees this season.

WALK-OFFS

1. Yankees 2B Robinson Cano is mired in a 3-for-21 slump, but he is 7-for-11 this season versus Shields.

2. Rays 3B Evan Longoria has enjoyed considerable success versus Sabathia, going 13-for-33 with five homers and eight RBIs. He's also worked 10 walks off the left-hander.

3. With Mark Teixeira sidelined with a strained left calf, the quartet of Curtis Granderson, Andruw Jones, Eric Chavez and Steve Pearce has combined to go 3-for-18 in the cleanup position. Granderson, however, is now day-to-day with a hamstring injury.