New York Yankees (69-42) at Texas Rangers (64-47)

Ah, man, I love the Rangers and hate the Yankees. Sadly, the Rangers are a little cold, dropping the last two games by scoring only two runs each. They even had a 2-0 lead on Sunday before dropping it 3-2. The previous game was a game by Harden who will not be allowed another start by the Rangers. I think he is about as done as done could be. They lost his start 6-2, but it was a LOT worse than that...

The Stankies bring A.J. Burnett to the show to start the series (a two-game set) and conclude with Javier Vázquez for Wednesday's game. The Rangers counter with their best two guy punch with C.J. Wilson and Cliff Lee. So, is a C.J. better than an A.J.? We'll find out tonight. Statistically, YES.

A.J. Burnett is a career 4-3 against the Rangers in 10 games (9 starts), posting a 3.58 ERA in 60.1 innings. He walks one every three innings, strikes out more than one per inning, and yields a HR roughly per nine innings against the Rangers.

It should also be noted that Burnett isn't having a great season. He comes into this one with a 4.93 ERA, a full run higher than his career mark and it should also be noted that he was scratched from Sunday's start with back spasms. I wonder how he will do in this Texas heat?

The current Ranger hitters are 29-150 (.193 BA) which translates into AWFUL. They have 5 HR, 12 RBI.

• Vladimir Guerrero is 10-45 with 4 doubles, 2 HR, 3 RBI, and has fanned 11 times
• Michael Young is 8-30 with a double, a HR, a RBI, and has fanned only 5 times
• Josh Hamilton is 4-14 with 2 doubles, a HR, 3 RBI, fanning twice
• David Murphy is 4-14, walking twice and fanning three times
• Jorge Cantu is 0-12 with 2 RBI and has fanned twice.

I think Cantu is due. Seriously. I would play him just so he can get his dues in on this guy. And heck, Burnett's back is questionable. Chances are he is going to toss awful tonight, combine heat with question marks and you get good news for the Rangers.

C.J. Wilson is struggling with control again in the last start against Seattle, and similar struggles could result in a pair of ugly starts against two of the American League's better offenses, the Yankees and Red Sox this week. He may be used on four days rest, as the Rangers consider going to a four man rotation, and simply pulling the Harden slot out momentarily. If the experiment works the first time through, they may stick with it longer and hold off using a fifth starter.

Wilson pitched against the Yankees earlier this season, taking a loss while tossing six innings. He gave up five runs, although three were earned. He walked three, didn't yield a long ball, but coughed up seven hits and fanned only five (ONLY!). It was considered a complete game, so evidently weather played a part in it. Even though C.J. has shown some rust (really, it should be considered wear and tear, as he has almost twice as many innings pitched as his previous season high), I think he is still a great option to start. I think it should be considered to not only watch his pitch count, but simply his inning count. No longer than seven innings - PERIOD* (*unless, of course there is a no-hitter going, then pitch on, my fella!).

Going back the previous three years, Wilson has done pretty well. Take into account that he wasn't used as a starter with the Rangers coming into this year, except in 2005, but Wilson wasn't the Wilson that he is today back then, so toss those six starts out the window. During 2007-2009, Wilson went 0-1 with two saves in two save opportunities against the Yankees. He threw in 11 games, tossing 13.1 innings and gave up only 8 hits, two which left the house.

Yankees vs. Wilson:

• Nick Swisher is 5-15 with two doubles, a HR, 5 RBI, four walks and 4 strikeouts
• Robinson Cano is 3-12 with a double
• Lance Berkman is 3-11 with a double, four RBI, three strikeouts.
• Alex Rodriguez is 0-10 with three strikeouts!!!
• Derek Jeter is 4-10 with a HR, two RBI, two walks and four strikeouts.
• Mark Teixeira is 0-4 with a strikeout!

Not the best numbers, but I do like them. Especially the A-Rod and Teixeira numbers. It kind of warms my heart. Teixeira could miss the start of the Yankees' six-game road trip because he plans to be with his wife for the birth of their child, the Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Forecast: The Yankees are 3-5 this month thus far, and with a less than sharp Burnett (it really is two-fold. Higher than Normal ERA and a sore back), could spell a lot of runs for the Rangers. You also factor in that Teixeira will more-than-likely miss tonight, it adds more intangibles for the Rangers favor. The Rangers hitters should benefit... I 'll stop drooling on what I think will go down tonight, but the Rangers win this one in stretch baseball fashion, 8-3.