MIN Glen Perkins, LHP (7-2, 3.84)
Twins (55-43)
Mike Mussina, RHP (12-6, 3.49)
Yankees (53-45)

Scouting Report:
Twins: The rookie left-hander continues to impress the Twins with his performance in a starting role. Perkins held a hot-hitting Rangers lineup scoreless for six innings, allowing just three hits and walking three. He's 3-0 in his last three starts and has not lost since May 30, going 5-0 with a 3.81 ERA over that span. That last loss came against the Yankees, the club he will face next in New York. Perkins gave up five earned runs on 10 hits over just four innings in that first outing at the Metrodome.


Yankees: Mussina surpassed his win total from the entire 2007 season when he picked up his 12th win Friday night against the A's. He threw six innings of one-run ball and scattered nine hits to quiet the Oakland offense. Mussina struck out six -- four looking -- and did not record a walk for the second straight game. He is now 11-3 with a 3.00 ERA in his last 16 starts.

Kevin Slowey, RHP (6-6, 4.26)
Twins (54-42)
Darrell Rasner, RHP (5-7, 4.97)
Yankees (51-45)

Scouting Report:
Twins: An infected fingernail on Slowey's right middle finger pushed him back to the end of the rotation. The right-hander had initially been tabbed to start the first contest after the All-Star break. After a string of good starts, Slowey has found some trouble recently. He's given up at least five earned runs in each of his last two starts. The Twins need Slowey to make quicker adjustments on the mound and keep the ball down in the zone. He'll try to do just that when he faces the Yankees for the first time this season.

Yankees: Rasner battled through five innings en route to his fifth victory of the season during his last outing against the Blue Jays. The 27-year-old allowed four runs in the first inning of the game but settled in and managed to get through five innings on 108 pitches. He finished his outing with six strikeouts for his first victory since June 18. After starting the season with three straight victories, Rasner is now 2-7 with a 6.19 ERA over his past nine outings. He is 1-1 with a 3.97 ERA in his two career starts against the Twins.

Nick Blackburn, RHP (7-5, 3.65)
Twins (53-42)
Sidney Ponson, RHP (5-1, 3.96)
Yankees (50-45)

Scouting Report:
Twins: A stellar first half has Blackburn being mentioned as a potential Rookie of the Year candidate. The sinkerball pitcher has started to become more consistent, delivering quality starts in five of his last six outings. He's started to eliminate his problems with the big inning and could be a big factor for the Twins in the second half. He'll make his second start against the Yankees. In the first, he left having pitched just 4 1/3 innings after he was struck in the face by a Bobby Abreu line drive.

Yankees: Ponson, who signed with New York on June 18, will be making just his fourth start in a Yankees uniform this season. During his last outing he surrendered just one earned run over six innings while recording two strikeouts against Tampa Bay. He is 1-0 with a 4.24 ERA so far in his brief tenure in New York. Ponson possesses a 10-2 record with a 2.42 ERA in 15 career appearances against Minnesota.