Yankees’ longtime closer Mariano Rivera will be hoping to secure his 42nd save of the season and 601st of his career – tying him with all-time leader Trevor Hoffman – as early as Friday night. (Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

CC Sabathia and Mariano Rivera could both make history in the next game as the New York Yankees continue their push for an American League East title.

Sabathia goes for his 20th win while Rivera could be in line to match the league’s all-time saves record as the Yankees open a three-game set against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday (7:07 p.m. ET).

New York (90-58) is going for its sixth straight win over Toronto as it tries to further separate itself from second-place Boston.

The Yankees are certainly sending the right pitcher to the mound in Sabathia (19-8, 2.93 earned-run average), who has beaten the Blue Jays three times this season and seven straight overall.

Sabathia is trying to become the first Yankees pitcher to win 20 games in back-to-back seasons since Tommy John in 1979-80. He failed in his first try after giving up one run, walking four and striking out five in six innings of a 6-0 loss to Los Angeles last Saturday.

The left-hander picked up his 19th win against Toronto on Sept. 4, allowing two runs while striking out 10 in 7 1/3 innings of a 9-3 victory.

Sabathia doesn’t figure to have to wait too long for win No. 20. The Blue Jays have hit .195 off him this season, managing seven runs and 17 hits in 24 1/3 innings. He’s also won his last three starts at Rogers Centre, posting a 1.48 ERA.

He and the Yankees lineup will try to put Rivera in position to tie Trevor Hoffman’s all-time mark after he didn’t get an opportunity in a 2-1, 12-inning loss to Seattle on Wednesday.

600 saves

Rivera recorded his 600th career save the night before.

Wednesday’s loss snapped New York’s three-game winning streak. Nick Swisher homered in the seventh, but Luis Rodriguez hit a game-winning shot off Cory Wade in the 12th.

“We lost a lot of one-run games on this trip and that’s the hard part,” manager Joe Girardi said. “We lost three games by one run each. But our club has been pretty good to win two out of three. You’ve got to keep doing that.”

While the Yankees couldn’t muster much offence Wednesday, they expect to have Alex Rodriguez back in the lineup Friday after he missed the last five games with a thumb injury.

Toronto (75-74) has helped New York over the last two weeks, winning four of six against Boston. The Blue Jays and Red Sox split a two-game set this week, with Toronto rallying for a 5-4 win Wednesday.

Loewen shines

Toronto scored three times in the eighth, taking the lead on Adam Loewen’s two-run single.

Loewen, who broke into the majors as a pitcher before transitioning to a hitter, is 5-for-14 with one homer and three RBIs since his call-up.

“Amazing. It’s crazy,” Ricky Romero, who picked up the win Wednesday, said. “Just to make that transition from a pitcher to a position player, you never really see that and he’s done a tremendous job for us.”

Dustin McGowan will try to help the Blue Jays end their losing streak against the Yankees. Brett Cecil was supposed to take the mound for Toronto but was a late scratch after cutting his left index finger while cleaning out a blender.

The 25 year old is only expected to miss one start.

McGowan, 29, will make his third appearance of the season and second start with the Jays since being recalled from AA New Hampshire.

He is currently 0-0 with a 9.00 ERA in his return to Toronto after not pitching in the majors since July 8, 2008, after two surgeries on his shoulder and another on his elbow.

NEW YORK (AP) — Hideki Irabu’s famous teammates on the New York Yankees remembered him Friday as a talented pitcher who was fun to be around.

The club held a moment of silence for Irabu at Yankee Stadium before Friday night’s game against Baltimore, one day after news of his death spread. A picture of Irabu tipping his cap to the crowd was shown on the big video board in center field.

Los Angeles County Assistant Coroner Chief Ed Winter told The Associated Press in an email Friday that the 42-year-old Irabu died by hanging himself, and the mode was suicide. He said Irabu did not leave a note.

“It’s really devastating. I got to know him real well,” longtime Yankees star Jorge Posada said. “A guy that came out here with a lot riding on his shoulders, but he did a hell of a job for us. Tough times.”

Winter said a friend found Irabu dead in his home in the wealthy Los Angeles suburb of Rancho Palos Verdes on Wednesday afternoon.

Winter said an autopsy was performed Friday, but it will take six to eight weeks for the results of toxicology tests, which could shed further light on the circumstances of Irabu’s death.

“I was caught off guard, to say the least,” Derek Jeter said. “Irabu was fun. He didn’t speak a lot of English, but he probably knew more than he led you guys to believe.”

The hard-throwing Japanese right-hander arrived in New York amid a wave of international hype in 1997, but faltered after an impressive debut.

Still, he had his moments on the mound. Posada recalled catching a game in which Irabu outpitched Randy Johnson with a gem in Seattle.

“When he was into it, probably the nastiest pitcher in the league,” Posada said. “Ken Griffey Jr. after the game talked really high about him, throwing 97, 98 mph, splitter was 91, 92 mph.”

New York manager Joe Girardi was Irabu’s catcher in his major league debut, when Irabu struck out nine in 6 2-3 innings to beat Detroit at Yankee Stadium.

Girardi said he was “saddened” when he heard about Irabu’s death Thursday, an off day for the Yankees.

“I thought he was a good teammate. He was enjoyable to be around, pitched a lot of good games for us,” Girardi said. “He’s going to be missed.”

Posada said Irabu always wore a smile in the clubhouse and had a penchant for making teammates laugh.

“Obviously the communication barrier was there, but he was always trying to learn the language and the words that he spoke were the funny ones,” Posada said. “He seemed like he was enjoying himself here.”

Irabu went 29-20 for the Yankees from 1997-99 and was forever tagged with a label from late owner George Steinbrenner, who called him a “fat … toad” after Irabu failed to cover first base during an exhibition game.

Irabu was a member of two Yankees teams that won the World Series, but his only postseason action was a single relief appearance in the 1999 AL championship series when Boston tagged him for 13 hits.

He also spent two years with the Montreal Expos and saved 16 games for Texas in 2002. Irabu finished his major league career 34-35 with a 5.15 ERA.

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Associated Press Writer Andrew Dalton in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

BALTIMORE – New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi has had quite enough of April showers.

New York’s game against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night was postponed by rain. It was the third washout of the young season for the Yankees, the second against the Orioles.

No makeup date was immediately announced, but Girardi indicated it will not be this weekend. With this rainout and the washout of Washington’s game at Pittsburgh, there have been 14 postponements in the major leagues this season, just seven shy of the total for all of 2010, according to STATS LLC.

Sooner or later, though, the Yankees will pay for their unexpected night off. New York also must make up a rainout against Minnesota on April 6 and the one against Baltimore in New York on April 12.

“We don’t like it because you know they’re probably going to be split doubleheaders,” Girardi said. “It makes it tough, it makes it tough on your bullpen, it makes it tough on your guys. But what are you going to do? They don’t want to lose the gate.”

After this weekend, the Yankees return to Baltimore from May 18-19 and Aug. 26-29.

CC Sabathia, scheduled to start Friday, will instead pitch Saturday. After that, Girardi isn’t certain.

“We want to look how it affects the whole schedule,” he said.

New York came to town as the only team in the AL East with a winning record (10-6). The Orioles started the night tied for third with an 8-10 record.

Brad Bergesen, Friday’s scheduled starter for Baltimore, will start on Saturday.

Before the rainout, the Yankees selected the contract of reliever Buddy Carlyle from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and optioned right-hander Hector Noesi to the same club. Carlyle, a right-hander, went 0-1 with a 3.52 ERA in five games with Scranton.

Noesi was recalled from Scranton on April 13 and did not appear in a game with the Yankees. He still has not played in a major league game.

Noesi originally signed with the Yankees as a free agent in December 2004 and was added to the 40-man roster in November 2009. To make room for Carlyle on the 40-man roster, the Yankees designated left-hander Jose Ortegano for assignment.

By Ed Valentine – Regional Editor

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Apr 22, 2011 - The New York Yankees get their second look at the new and improved Baltimore Orioles when they begin a three-game series Friday night at Camden Yards. New York ace CC Sabathia will start Friday night. Sabathia is still seeking his first victory, though he has an ERA of 2.52 and has twice left games with leads only to watch the Yankee bullpen falter.

The Yankees swept the Orioles recently in a rain-shortened two-game series in New York. The Yankees have won four of five and lead the American League East with a 10-6 record. Baltimore (8-10) is three games back, but the Orioles have lost eight of their last 10 games.

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Read More: Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, New York Yankees at Baltimore Orioles, Apr 22, 2011 7:05 PM EDT

Suddenly, all is well again with the New York Yankees’ bullpen.

Joba Chamberlain, sidelined with an oblique injury, threw a 31-pitch bullpen session Saturday morning and declared himself all better.

“Everything was good,” Chamberlain said. “My delivery, probably, felt better than it has in a while.”

Left-hander Pedro Feliciano, who hadn’t pitched in 10 days with what manager Joe Girardi called a “dead arm,” threw 15 pitches off the mound at what he said was 80 percent intensity and assured everyone he will be ready when the season starts March 31. He’s expected to have a longer bullpen session in a few days.

“I’ll be ready,” Feliciano said about Opening Day. “I’ll be there.”

Fellow lefty Boone Logan, who Girardi believed Friday likely would be shut down for four or five days with back spasms, said what he actually had was “a knot” that had gone away with treatment. He is on the travel roster for Sunday’s game against the Phillies in Clearwater.

“Right now, we still fully expect everyone to be ready for Opening Day,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said.

Left fielder Brett Gardner is scheduled to play Sunday after fouling a ball off his right shin Thursday. He left Friday’s game with leg soreness.

“I’m good to go,” he said.

Pitcher A.J. Burnett, hit by a liner on the right upper buttock Friday, has a large bruise.

Wallace Matthews covers the Yankees for ESPNNewYork.com. You can follow him on Twitter. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Toronto Blue Jays’ Jose Bautista hits a first-inning RBI single off New York Yankees starting pitcher A. J. Burnett in the Blue Jays 6-5 victory in a spring training baseball game at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium in Dunedin, Fla., Friday, March 18, 2011. Photo: AP / AP

Toronto Blue Jays’ Jose Bautista hits a first-inning RBI single off…

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Brandon Morrow winds up in the second inning of the Blue Jays 6-5 victory over the New York Yankees in a spring training baseball game at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium in Dunedin, Fla., Friday, March 18, 2011. Morrow allowed no runs on three hits with three walks and six strikeouts in five innings, improving his spring training record to 2-0. Photo: AP / AP

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Brandon Morrow winds up in the…

Toronto Blue Jays’ Jose Molina hits a solo home run off New York Yankees pitcher A.J. Burnett during the second inning of a spring training baseball game at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium in Dunedin, Fla., Friday, March 18, 2011. Photo: AP / AP

Toronto Blue Jays’ Jose Molina hits a solo home run off New York…

New York Yankees starting pitcher A.J. Burnett slides to field a ball hit by Toronto Blue Jays Juan Rivera who hit Burnett in the buttocks with a first inning line drive in a spring training baseball game at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium in Dunedin, Fla., Friday, March 18, 2011. Photo: AP / AP

New York Yankees starting pitcher A.J. Burnett slides to field a…

New York Yankees’ Brett Gardner tosses his helmet after he was thrown out at the plate in the third inning of the Yankees’ 6-5 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays in their spring training baseball game at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium in Dunedin, Fla., Friday, March 18, 2011. Gardner left the game in the fourth with a bruised shin, an injury he sustained in Thursday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Photo: AP / AP

New York Yankees’ Brett Gardner tosses his helmet after he was…

Dante Girardi, right, son of New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi (28), watches the Yankees take batting practice with his father before the Yankees spring training baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium in Dunedin, Fla., Friday, March 18, 2011. Photo: AP / AP

Dante Girardi, right, son of New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi…