Fresh off a sweep of the Seattle Mariners, the Yankees are gearing up for a three game series against the Cleveland Indians at Yankee Stadium.

They’ll also be getting a break for their so-called Youth Movement as Andy Pettitte (3-3), Chien-Ming Wang (6-0), and Mike Mussina (4-3) are set to pitch in that order.

Pettitte hopes to turn around his slump tonight against the same team that put him in it.  Two starts ago he got knocked around by the Indians as he gave up four runs on eight hits, including two home runs, in just five innings. In his following start against the Tigers last week Pettitte was equally as bad allowing five runs on seven hits, including two home runs again, over six innings. Tonight might not be his night though, during his career he is 6-8 with a 4.63 ERA against the Tribe.

To make matters worse he is going up against sinkerballer Fausto Carmona.  The 24-year-old in winless in the regular season against the Yanks, but his peripheral numbers against them are good. In just over 16 innings he has a 3.86 ERA and has done a good job keeping runners off the bases with a 1.16 WHIP.

The key for Carmona will be to keep the table setters, Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter, off the bases. Both are coming off a strong series against Seattle and both have hit well against Carmona in the past, sporting .400 and a .429 averages respectively.

Game two’s match up will be more to the Yankees liking – as long as you don’t remember last season’s ALDS.  But Wang showed he’s shaken off the rust in his last start against the Indians going seven innings while allowing just four hits and no runs.  A remarkable turn around from a 19.06 ERA in a pair of playoff loses against the Tribe last October.

His biggest problem will be facing Cliff Lee who is an outstanding 5-0 with a 0.96 ERA this season. Part of that perfect record might have something to do with the fact that he managed to avoid facing the Yankees when they went to Cleveland last week. In his career against the Bombers he is 2-3 with a poor 6.82 ERA. Jeter and Jason Giambi will be salivating in the box against him with 1.173 and 1.033 OPS’ respectively, but Damon and Robinson Cano will be hoping to avoid him with .083 and .200 OPS’.

The series will wrap up Thursday night with a Mussina versus Paul Byrd matchup.  Mussina will hope to keep his personal three game winning streak alive facing a lineup he seems to do well against.  He has the biggest fits against Jhonny Peralta, who is the only Indians hitter to homer off the Moose, and Casey Blake.  Blake has been struggling this season however, but he did manage to go 1-for-3 with a walk against Mussina last week.  Since that game he has been stuck in a 2-for-18 slump.

Byrd has beaten the Yankees in his past two starts against them, including one in the ALDS, but has not fared as well during his career with a 2-4 record and a 4.64 ERA.  Look for Giambi to have a big game against him though.  The lefty slugger has a 1.264 OPS and with three homeruns in 16 at bats against him in his lifetime, but Jeter is the only other batter expected to be in the lineup who has managed over a .900 OPS against him.

This could be a good series for the Yankees who need to show that the three game series against Seattle wasn’t a fluke.  Aside from tonight the pitching matchups are in their favor which will hopefully keep their bats hot. 

Wednesday night’s game should be the most interesting matchup as the pitchers on the mound will be a combined 11-0.  The Yankees have not faced Lee since July 6, 2006 which will likely be in the Indians favor, but Wang has been one of the more dominant pitchers in baseball this season and has adjusted well to an October collapse from last season.

The biggest players to watch on the Yankees this week will be Damon and Hideki Matsui.  Damon looks rejuvenated lately and has brought his average up to .295 by hitting in eight of his last nine games including eight runs scored in that stretch.  Matsui is in the middle of a 14 game hitting streak with some impressive numbers.  Since April 18 he is hitting .327 with four extra base hits and nine RBI’s.  He’s found a spot batting cleanup and he might have settled in there until Alex Rodriguez returns to reclaim it.

Hot Stove’s prediction: The Vets will serve the Yankees well, but only good enough to take two out of three.