New York @ Chicago preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 28, 2011 ) Chi. White Sox 3, NY Yankees 12

THE STORY: After wrapping up a 10-game homestand against three American League punching bags, the New York Yankees will step up in class when they embark on a seven-game road trip to Chicago and Boston. New York, which is two games behind the division-leading Red Sox in the AL East, visits the White Sox on Monday night in the opener of a four-game set. Riding a three-game winning streak, the Yankees will trot out ace lefthander CC Sabathia, who will be looking to become the first 16-game winner in the major leagues. He’ll be opposed by Chicago righthander Jake Peavy.

TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, YES (New York), CSN (Chicago)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees LH CC Sabathia (15-5, 2.56 ERA) vs. White Sox RH Jake Peavy (4-4, 5.26 ERA).

Sabathia is 7-1 in his last eight starts and is coming off a spectacular performance last time out, striking out a career-high 14 batters and throwing a perfect game for 6 1/3 innings against Seattle. He has a remarkable stretch of 19 consecutive decisions and has pitched at least seven innings in 16 of those starts. Sabathia also owns the White Sox, going 17-4 in 30 career starts.

Peavy is heading in the opposite direction of Sabathia. He’s winless in his last five starts, going 0-3 and allowing 24 runs in 28 1/3 innings. In his last eight starts, his ERA has risen more than two runs. Peavy gave up four runs on 10 hits in six innings to Detroit last time out. He hasn’t faced the Yankees since 2008, when he was with San Diego.

ABOUT THE WHITE SOX (52-54): Chicago is 3-3 on its current 10-game homestand after dropping two of three games to Boston over the weekend. Among the biggest underachievers in baseball, the White Sox still sit just four games back of AL Central leader Detroit. Their inability to win at home (24-28) combined with a feeble offense that ranks 12th in the AL have haunted them all season. Paul Konerko, who leads the team with 25 homers, 76 RBIs and a .305 batting average, is expected to miss at least the series opener with a bruised left calf after he was hit by a pitch Sunday.

ABOUT THE YANKEES (64-42): New York finished 7-3 on the homestand after taking the final three games against Baltimore. The Yankees fattened up their stats in the process, particularly in Saturday’s doubleheader assault. Nick Swisher is riding a seven-game hitting streak after going 8-for-17 with two homers, two doubles and six RBIs vs. the Orioles. Brett Gardner drove in six runs in his last three games and Mark Teixeira has five hits in his last eight at-bats. He also has 12 RBIs in his last 10 games. Captain Derek Jeter could miss Monday’s game. He has a bruised right middle finger after getting hit by a pitch Sunday.

FINAL PITCH: Jeter is tied with Rafael Palmeiro for 24th place on baseball's all-time list with 3,020 career hits. He trails Lou Brock by three hits.