ST. PETERSBURG -- It's difficult to imagine a pitcher with only eight big league starts under his belt having built up a track record of any significance, but if there was any team to hurry Ian Kennedy back for, it'd be the Rays.

The 23-year-old right-hander will be added to New York's roster for Thursday's start against Tampa Bay, facing the Rays for the fourth time in his brief Major League career and reuniting with the club he made his debut against last September.

"I have a good idea what I'm going to see. I believe I'm going to see a guy have a good outing," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "We wouldn't have called him back if we didn't believe that. We feel he's going to attack the zone and throw strikes, and he's going to compete and give us a good opportunity to win."

Kennedy opened the season in the Yankees' rotation, but was unable to log a victory through his first six starts, leading the club to option him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on May 4 with a fifth starter not needed as often this month.

But Kennedy's replacement in the big leagues, left-hander Kei Igawa, struggled in his only appearance and is likely to be sent back to the Minors in a corresponding roster move to bring Kennedy back.

Kennedy was 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two starts for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning of his first start on May 6 vs. Charlotte and finishing with one hit surrendered over 7 1/3 innings. After that game, he certainly was not short on confidence, according to a report in the Scranton (Pa.) Times-Tribune.

"I'm trying to say it humbly, but it doesn't matter what I say, it's going to come out cocky," Kennedy said. "You just know. I woke up today and told my wife, 'I just have a feeling I'm going to make these guys look stupid.'"

The Yankees probably wouldn't mind if he exhibited the same swagger at Tropicana Field on Thursday. Kennedy was lifted from his start Monday at Indianapolis after just 12 pitches in order to give him an opportunity to face live hitting for an inning before his recall.

The Rays counter with 24-year-old left-hander Scott Kazmir, who should be in good spirits after agreeing to a three-year contract extension worth a guaranteed $28.5 million on Tuesday. Kazmir will be making his 100th career start and the ninth of his career against New York, having fared 2-3 with a 3.00 ERA previously.

Pitching matchup
NYY: RHP Ian Kennedy (0-2, 8.37 ERA)
After Igawa was not much of an improvement over Kennedy, allowing six earned runs in three-plus innings and suffering a loss to the Tigers on Friday, the Yankees elected to make a switch. Kennedy has shown signs of turning his season around at Triple-A, allowing no runs on two hits over 8 1/3 innings while walking none and striking out eight.

TB: LHP Scott Kazmir (1-1, 2.70 ERA)
The reigning American League strikeout king will make his third start of the 2008 season after missing the first month of the season while recovering from inflammation in his left elbow. Kazmir won his first game Saturday night against the Angels, when he pitched six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out six. Kazmir is at his best when he is locating his fastball, which makes his slider even more devastating.

Tidbits
Bobby Abreu batted in the second spot in the order on Wednesday. It was his first time there since May 13, 2007, vs. Seattle. ... Robinson Cano is 14-for-37 (.378) since recording just 16 hits in his first 108 at-bats. He is 8-for-18 on the road trip. ... The Yankees and Phillies are the only two teams to not have a winning or losing streak of more than three games this season.

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Up next
• Friday: Yankees (Darrell Rasner, 2-0, 3.00) vs. Mets (Johan Santana, 4-2, 3.10), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Saturday: Yankees (Andy Pettitte, 3-4, 4.40) vs. Mets (Oliver Perez, 3-3, 4.61), 1:05 p.m. ET
• Sunday: Yankees (Chien-Ming Wang, 6-1, 2.90) vs. Mets (John Maine, 5-2, 2.81), 8:05 p.m. ET