New York Yankees will meet the Milwaukee Brewers: Watch Derek Jeter on a FREE Major League Baseball Live Streaming Online from MIller Park at 8:10 PM ET
Masahiro Tanaka is about to get his first taste of batting in the big leagues.
The New York Yankees starter will try to improve to 5-0 as he squares off with Milwaukee Brewers ace Yovani Gallardo in Friday night's opener of a three-game series at Miller Park.
Tanaka (4-0, 2.53 ERA) went 3 for 37 with four sacrifices at the plate during his seven-year career in Japan. His bat, of course, isn't why he came over to New York (18-15) as he looks to improve to 33-0 in regular-season play since losing to Seibu on Aug. 19, 2012.
The right-hander has generally gotten stronger after some early jitters. He is allowing hitters to bat .314 against him the first time through the lineup before that figure goes down to .173 over the rest of the game.
He served up two homers for the second time in three games -- he's allowed seven through six starts -- and now faces a Brewers offense which is among the major league leaders with 36.
Tanaka will step into the batter's box against Gallardo (2-1, 2.47), who is 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA in three home starts entering his first career outing against the Yankees.
New York will see familiar faces in Brewers slugger Lyle Overbay and Mark Reynolds, who each spent time last season with the Yankees.
"I got a good taste of that jealousy on the other side," Overbay told the Brewers' official website. "But if we do the things we can do, we can beat anybody."
The Yankees had lost five of six before winning the final two games of a three-game set in Anaheim this week.
Derek Jeter entered the series in a 2-for-24 slump but went 5 for 11 and hit his first homer of the year in Wednesday's 9-2 victory.
"It's good to get one," Jeter said. "I'm not catching Babe Ruth or anything, but at least you'd like to get one. The important thing is that we got a win. It was a good game for us in a lot of different ways."
The game will live stream on www.wiziwig.tv/competition.php?part=sports&discipline=baseball
