Thu Apr 3 11:00:51 2008

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Jays conclude series with Yanks in the Bronx

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(Sports Network) - Toronto hopes Dustin McGowan can make his start this evening when the Blue Jays play the rubber match of their three-game season- opening series against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

McGowan, who was 12-10 with a 4.08 earned run average last season, was not with the team on Wednesday and was back in the hotel with a sore stomach. Should he not be ready to go tonight, manager John Gibbons has stated that Shaun Marcum would go.

The 26-year-old McGowan was 2-2 with a 5.25 ERA in four starts versus the Yankees last season.

New York will counter with a talented young righty of its own in 21-year-old Phil Hughes, whose chances of being with the team this past winter seemed slim. Hughes, the crown jewel of the Yankees system for years, would have been the centerpiece of any deal for Johan Santana had the team decided to go in that direction.

Hughes showed signs of brilliance last season. In just his second start Hughes held the Texas Rangers hitless in 6 1/3 innings before suffering a severe hamstring injury. Hughes struggled when he returned, but seemed to get stronger as the year went on and was sensational for the team in the playoffs.

Hughes made three starts against the Blue Jays last season and was 1-1 with a 4.70 ERA.

After losing Tuesday's opener, the Jays bounced back on Wednesday, as A.J. Burnett threw shutout ball into the seventh inning and Vernon Wells smacked a two-run homer to lead Toronto to a 5-2 win.

Burnett (1-0) allowed five hits, including a two-run homer to Alex Rodriguez, before being replaced in the seventh inning, but the Blue Jays scored four times off Mike Mussina (0-1) early to get the win.

Alex Rios had two hits and two RBI for Toronto, and Jeremy Accardo worked out of trouble in the ninth inning to get the save on a night when the game-time temperature stood at 44 degrees with a stiff wind, forcing players and fans to bundle up against the harsh conditions.

Derek Jeter had two of the seven hits for New York, which had the tying run at the plate with no outs in the ninth. However, Accardo got A-rod swinging and induced a fly out to Jason Giambi before Robinson Cano popped out to end the game.

Rodriguez's blast was the 519th of his career, leaving him two away from tying Ted Williams and Willie McCovey (521) for 15th place on Baseball's all-time home run list.

Elsewhere on the milestone front, Rios has now hit safely in 22 straight games against the Yankees which is tied for the third-longest active hitting streak for any major leaguer versus one team. It is also the longest by a player against the Yankees since the White Sox' Nellie Fox hit in 22 straight from 1951-52. Rios was last held hitless by the Yankees on September 29, 2006.

Yankees catcher Jorge Posada was a late scratch from Wednesday's tilt with a stiff shoulder, while Jays second baseman Marco Scutaro was hit with a pitch on his right hand while batting in the ninth inning and had X-rays taken of his little finger. Both are questionable for tonight's tilt.

New York won 11 of its 19 matchups with the Jays last season and is 33-22 against Toronto since the start of the 2005 campaign.