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July 8, 2008 / By Rob Gerein

The first-place Tampa Bay Rays will try to add to their lead in the American League East division when they visit the New York Yankees for a two-game series starting Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.

MLB betting fans may as well throw a dart at the wall with this one, as oddsmakers at Bookmaker have Tuesday’s tilt as a -110 pick’em and the over/under total at 8.

The matchup will pit two of the best left-handed pitchers in MLB against each other, as Tampa Bay ace and 2008 All-Star Scott Kazmir goes against Andy Pettitte of the Yankees. Kazmir is 7-3 with a 2.63 ERA this season, while Pettitte is 9-6 with a 4.22 ERA.

New York (47-42) is third in the AL East, 8½ games behind the Rays (55-32) and 4 games behind the second-place Boston Red Sox.

Kazmir’s last start came July 2 against Boston, when he pitched five innings in a 7-6 win. Pettitte’s last game was also against Boston, the next night, July 3, when he was shelled 7-0 and pitched less than five innings.

In their last games, Tampa Bay dropped a 7-4 decision to the Kansas City Royals on Monday, while New York edged arch-rival Boston 5-4 on Sunday, giving it a split of their four-game series.

The Rays and Yankees last met on May 15, when Kazmir led the Rays to a 5-2 home win. Tampa Bay was a -155 moneyline favorite and the score went under the total of 8.

The second game Wednesday afternoon will have Edwin Jackson (5-6, 4.08 ERA) of the Rays against Sidney Ponson (5-1, 4.19 ERA) of the Yankees.

The teams were involved in a spring-training brawl in March that resulted in two players and two coaches being ejected.