CC vs. Price in first of seven Yankees-Rays matchups

ARLINGTON, Texas - It is a matchup of two leading American League Cy Young Award candidates, but tonight, something more important to both pitchers will be on the line.

The AL East lead.

After both teams lost yesterday, the Yankees (87-56) remained a half-game ahead of Tampa Bay (86-56). They'll face each other seven times in the next 11 days - three this week in St. Petersburg, Fla., and four next week at Yankee Stadium.

Sabathia said of tonight's game and the series: "You try and treat it like anything else."

But the Yankees' ace lefthander (19-6, 3.14 ERA), who will face Rays ace lefty David Price (17-6, 2.87), knows what's at stake, particularly from a team aspect.

"We all know," Sabathia said. "Every game for us right now is big. We're trying to win this division, so given the chance to play the team that's [right behind] us, it's going to be, is always going to be big."

Sabathia said he looks forward to facing any team's ace, but only to a point. "You have to embrace it, but I'm not facing him," he said. "I'm facing their lineup. So I'll go out, just try and put up zeroes. I know he's going to do the best he can, and we'll just have to see what happens."

Sabathia, coming off a loss to the Orioles on Tuesday that denied him a 20th victory this season - which would be a career first - enters the game 1-1 with a 2.53 ERA in three starts against the Rays this season.

Sabathia said the Rays' speed is the biggest challenge. "They're fast," he said. "The top of that lineup, if you get [Carl] Crawford on, you get [B.J.] Upton on and you're trying to slide-step and you've got [Evan] Longoria up there and [Carlos] Peña up there, you can get yourself in some tough situations . . . There's always the threat of one of those guys stealing second or third, and if you're peeking over, it can take your concentration away from the hitter."

Price, 25, is 1-1 with a 7.11 ERA against the Yankees in two starts this season. He earned the win in Tampa Bay's 7-3 victory April 9 in St. Petersburg, allowing three runs and seven hits in 72/3 innings, but the Yankees got to him July 18 in the Bronx. In that game, a 9-5 Yankees victory, Price allowed seven runs and seven hits in five innings.

Sabathia has seen a lot of growth out of Price this season. "He's polished," Sabathia said. "He's young, but he knows what he's doing out there. He went from being just a thrower to now having three or four pitches."

The Yankees' final 19 games are against AL East teams (10 of the Rays' 20 remaining games are against the Angels, Mariners and Royals). Sabathia likes the fact that the Yankees and Rays will face each other seven times.

"You get a chance to settle it on the field," he said. "You don't have to depend on anybody else, it's all on you. So I think to win a division, you have to beat the teams in your division and this is the team that's trailing us, so it's in our hands."