Battle of NY

Well ladies and gents, its that time of the year again. The New York Mets will take on their cross-town rival the New York Yankees. Let the smack talk begin.

So far, the Mets are 26-39 against the Bombers, including the 2000 World Series (one to forget). Talk about an ugly record. Well, a large factor in this record included the fact that in 2003, they were swept in both series. If not, the record would even out a bit.

Both teams are sinking ships as neither are in first. This makes a good match-up, since they are hungry to become top dog of their division. They will both sport their aces, but on different days.

Here are the pitching match-ups for this weekend:

Friday: Johan Santana Vs. Darrell Rasner
Its the ace against the recently brought up youngster, who has discovered some kind of a groove. While most people would favor the team with the two time Cy Young winner, Rasner has won both of his starts since coming from the minors. He's stuck on cloud nine and I think its about time that the Metropolitans bring him back down to earth. Santana is 3-0 with a 2.66 ERA against the Yanks. I give this game Queens.


Saturday: Oliver Perez Vs. Andy Pettitte
Its number 46 against... number 46? Petttitte and Perez should be considered mirror images of each other. They both bear the same jersey and are both lefties that are in-the-middle starters. Heck, they are even sporting similar records (Pettitte 3-4, Perez 3-3) and even ERA's (4.60, 4.61). Creepy. This is too close to call as both of them are in a rut that they can't get out of. The only difference is one win by Perez last start against the Reds. But, going by the career numbers, Pettitte owns the Mets, going 7-3 in 16 appearances. I do not think the boss would be happy with two losses in a row. This one belongs to the Bronx.

Sunday: John Maine Vs. Ching Ming Wang
Well, if my assumptions are right, the rubber match-up should be one for the ages. Here we have the top dog of the Yankees, going against the second best pitcher in the rotation for the Mets. Wang has been near perfect, the only blemish has been a loss given up to Cleveland going against another undefeated hurler, Cliff Lee. Maine has won four straight decisions and is definitely the guy they want to have on the mound against the Yankee's Cy Young candidate. This is no doubt going to be a duel. Throwing away those career numbers against the teams (Maine has not faired well against the Pinstriped Posse), I think i'm going to go with the Mets because, as of late, it seems like there has been a fire that has been lit in that clubhouse.

Sure, they have the worst record of the two, but they have a potent offense that is packed with home run hitters (Church, Betran, Delgado...[this one is a stretch]) hitters that pack a punch (Alou, you are going to love Yankee Stadium.) The Yankees do not have much going for them as A-Rod and Jorge Posada are out and without them, the lineup does not feel the same. Jeter, Abreu and Matsui cannot do everything themselves. Their homegrown talent, Robinson Cano and Shelly Duncan have not lived up to expectations. The only man the Mets should fear this series is the man they simply call Joba. He is a stopper. But that is a story for another time.

In general, this should be an amazing series that will bring the city to life, Bringing out those fans who come out to see the two home teams battle it out for Big Apple Supremacy.

pictures courtesy of sportslogos.net