Mets & Yankees Meet Up Again In Part II of Subway Series

The first time these two teams met each other two week ago, one of the dumbest plays in baseball history occurred when Louis Castillo dropped a sure game-winning pop up by Alex Rodriguez that would have given the Mets an 8-7 victory. Instead, the drop cost the Mets the game, as Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeria scored the tying and winning runs for the Bombers.

The rest of the series was a mess. Andy Pettitte was shelled by the beleaguered Mets lineup and Johan Santana was blasted by the powerful Yankee lineup to a tune of 15-0.

Now, the drawn out, and now boring series is set to start up again, this time at the Mets new home, Citi Field.

The Mets come into the series actually showing some grit. They took three of four from the St. Louis Cardinals, as the likes of Nick Evans, Fernando Martinez, Fernando Nieve, Alex Cora and Tim Redding found ways to beat up the red birds during the week. The Mets are just a game and a half out of first place in the NL East, and if they can take this series against the Yankees it could catapult them into July big time.

But don't expect the Mets to have similar success this weekend. They have only one legitimate threat in the lineup right now with David Wright, and even he has been struggling to drive in runs in crucial situations this year in spite of his .356 batting average. Also, the Mets do not have an advantage in the starting pitching department.

Mike Pelfrey starts tonight against C.C. Sabathia. Even though Sabathia has struggled at times this year, Pelfery has been unreliable this season for the Mets. He lasted only five and two-thirds against the Orioles before he was taken out, when Baltimore was threatening to have a big inning, and, in his last start against the Rays, Pelfery was shelled in the fourth inning.

Redding will start Saturday against A.J. Burnett. Burnett was brilliant in his last start against the Mets, throwing a four hit shutout over seven innings. Redding has been solid for the Mets, but eventually he will get shelled by somebody soon. Redding has a 6.08 ERA this year.

Sunday might be the only saving grace for the Mets. Livan Hernandez who has been outstanding this year with a 5-2 record and a solid 4.05 ERA. He will square off against Chein-Ming Wang, who is 0-6 this year and is still struggling to find himself this season.

The Yankees have had their issues as well lately. Before winning the final two games a series in Atlanta, the Yankees lost nine of their last 13 games, failing to hit in the clutch. Maybe the Atlanta series is a sign of things to come, after Alex Rodriguez lit up the Braves over the last two nights. A-Rod has had an awful year, hitting .223, but in the last two games he is hitting .500 with a home run and six RBI. If he heats up, it won't matter how big Citi Field plays, A-Rod will find a way to get the ball out of the yard.

It should be interesting to see how the Yankee bats handle Citi Field. They are used to the friendly confines of new Yankee Stadium, where a pop up to the outfield has a good chance of leaving the yard. In Citi Field, the deepest part of the park is right center measuring out to 415 feet from home plate. Look for the power happy Yankees to struggle a bit in this stadium. They will have to play small ball if they plan on winning two more games from the Mets this season.