The Yankees captain hopes to return to the lineup, as a pair of aces close out the 2010 Subway Series.
New York Mets at New York Yankees
The New York Mets had its eight-game winning streak snapped on Saturday afternoon, dropping the second game in the series, 5-3. The club is still a dominating 19-6 in its last 25 games since May 22, giving them the best record in the majors over that span. The Mets still hold a 3-2 record against the Yankees this season, but will be up against a 3-9 all-time mark in series in the Bronx. Starting rotation has carried the load especially on the road, posting a 9-2 record and 2.99 ERA in their last 11 games away from Citi Field. The staff still has quite a disparity between its home/road numbers, with the team having a 4.66 road ERA compared to just 2.73 at home.
The New York Yankees scored more runs Saturday than they had in their past three games overall (four), but were without shortstop Derek Jeter, who was out of the lineup because of a bruised right heel. “You never want to lose four in a row,” Yankees 1B Mark Teixeira said. The switch-hitter belted his 11th home run in the third inning, a two-run shot that tied the game. The Yankees now have a 24-10 record at Yankee Stadium in 2010, marking the fourth-best home record in baseball. The club tops the majors in runs per game at home (6.30), while having the second-best batting average (.298). The team can only hope that Jeter plays in the series finale, as he’s the all-time interleague leader in hits (311) and runs scored (174).
Mets SP Johan Santana is 5-3 with a 3.13 ERA in 14 starts this season (-220), but has managed to strikeout just 59 batters in 92 innings. The left-hander was far from brilliant in his last start (7IP, 4ER), but the offense picked him up by scoring seven runs en route to a victory. “That was a good outing for him,” Mets manager Jerry Manuel said. “It was good that we scored runs for him.” Santana beat the Yankees in his last start, tossing 7.2 innings of one-run ball on May 23 at Citi Field, but it was an entirely different story in his only start at the new Yankee Stadium last year. The Mets’ ace allowed nine runs and nine hits in just three innings of work in that outing back on June 14, 2009 during a 15-0 loss. At the original Yankee Stadium, he was 3-0 with a 2.05 ERA in five games (four starts).
Yankees SP C.C. Sabathia is a solid 7-3 with a 4.00 ERA in 14 starts this season (-230). The big left-hander has won three straight decisions, including a victory over the Phillies on Tuesday in which he allowed three runs in seven innings. “He bent but didn’t break,” Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher said. He owns a 15-7 record with a 3.78 ERA in 36 career interleague starts, all coming against NL opponents, losing just twice in his last 14 interleague starts since June 27, 2006. Sabathia has faced Santana in five previous outings, going 3-2 in those meetings, as he’s the only pitcher ever to beat him three times in the same season (2007).
Bettors have definitely profited in playing the Mets this month (13-3, +1,030) and during interleague play (9-2, +8.8). The team has still had its troubles during day games, falling to 11-10 after Saturday’s loss (-70). The Yankees are a solid 17-9 during the day (+220), but will find it difficult to move above .500 against left-handers in facing Santana (12-12, -700).
