The Subway Series is back again, beginning tonight at Yankee Stadium, and it might not be as one sided as many once thought. If you haven’t noticed, the Mets have played very well recently. The Mets, whose season appeared to be going down the drain a few weeks ago, have won 9 of their last 13 and head into Yankee Stadium with a 21-22 record. For all of the Yankees talent and pay roll, they only have two more wins than the Mets.
It has been an eventful season for both teams. The Mets have dealt with financial and injury issues (Wright and Ike), while the Yankees have dealt with two aging stars, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada. The Posada issue has taken on a life of its own ever since he took himself out of the lineup last Saturday night against the Red Sox after Joe Girardi asked him to bat 9th. The Posada stuff coincided with a 6 game losing streak, but the Yankees finally got back on track this week, and have won 3 straight.
Some of the traditionalists might not like the Subway series, but I disagree, and look forward to it every season. Those same traditionalists will tell you the Mets and Yankees should be playing more games against the teams in their division, but I have seen enough of the Nationals, Marlins, and Orioles.
I have been to numerous Subway series games (the Castillo dropped pop up, for example) and the intensity is tremendous. Met fans are yelling at Yankee fans and vice versa. Additionally, when is the last time there has been an empty seat at a Subway series game? Even Citi Field sells out. It might be half Yankee fans, but the Wilpons will take the check.
As for the series itself, here are some notes:
Pitching Matchups:
Friday: Dickey vs. Garcia
Saturday: Capuano vs. Burnett
Sunday: Pelfrey vs. Nova
All Time Series: Yankees lead series 45-33 (Yankees defeated Mets in 2000 World Series)
Player to Watch: Justin Turner- Turner is now playing 3rd for the injured David Wright and has done more in one week than Wright did in the last month. In his last seven games, Turner has hit .360 with a home run and 9 RBIs.
Prediction: I am going to go with the Mets winning 2 of 3. I like the way they have played lately and I think they can carry some momentum into the series. I also think they are getting a huge break by not facing Sabathia or Colon.
By Rob Bonanni
