Here we go again!
The Subway Series is back in New York this weekend, only this time with a bit of a different twist. In years' past we have grown accustomed to either the Yankees soaring above the competition, while the Mets floundered, or we have seen the days when both teams were true contenders for a world championship.
This year, however, the Subway Series will feature two struggling ball clubs, both who are desperately looking to find their identity.
Granted the Mets problems are 10x bigger than anything the Yankees can come up with; from the bankruptcy of the Wilpon, a pending $1 billion lawsuit hanging over their heads, to countless injuries and misfortune to their "stars" on the field, the Mets have been every bit the disaster that people feared they would be entering the season.
Yet, the Mets are only two games under .500 at 21-22, even though it feels more like 11-32. The Mets have beaten up on the Nationals and Astros of the world, in spite of the fact that their most consistent pitcher is Chris Capuano!!
Mike Pelfrey and R.A. Dickey have been horrible, with ERA's over five. Jon Niese has been inconsistent, while Dillon Gee has done admirably in the stead of Chris Young who is out of the season.
The Met offense outside of Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran hasn't been great. Jason Bay has been putrid since coming off the DL hitting .238. While David Wright and Ike Davis, two of the faces of the Mets batting order are now out with injuries and will miss this series.
The Mets have tried to survive with Dan Murphy, Justin Turner, and Josh Thole, but lets face it these guys are not going to get the Mets anywhere anytime soon.
For the Yankees age has been the problem. Last week's Jorge Posada fiasco, and constant discussions about the future of both Posada and Derek Jeter in the Yankee lineup has been a huge distraction. Both players are aging quickly and their performance is starting to lag behind.
Meanwhile the Yankee lineup, before this week has struggled. The Yankees need Mark Teixeria and Alex Rodriguez to deliever, and this week they have. Teixeria hit a big homerun against the Orioles, Thursday night, while Rodigruez had a big shot the other day in Tampa. If those two get going the Yankees can make up for all of their offensive woes in the first half of the year.
Pitching is still a concern. While Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia have been decent, neither can be trusted for the long hall. CC Sabathia has been great this year, but up until now has not gotten a lot of run support this year. A.J. Burnett and Ivan Nova have equally been inconsistent.
So not all is well is Yankee land, even though they have won three in a row. Certainly with this recent string of victories does something to dull the problems of the past few weeks for the Bronx Bombers.
This series ahead is a great opportunity for the Yankees to wake up on a big stage and show this town that the 2011 version of the Yankees is primed for another big run this season, in spite of their advanced age.
For the Mets this Subway Series is a chance to shut up the doubters. Taking two of three will leave the Mets at 23-23, a .500 record that nobody thought would even be possible for them. For the young Mets to beat the Yankees would be a huge boost of confidence for them moving forward.
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