The Captain's Blog

The Yankees need a win to save face in the annual Subway Series, while the Mets seek a victory to not only win bragging rights, but also further validate their June resurgence. To accomplish each respective goal, both teams send their aces to the mound in a rematch of an earlier CitiField showdown.

Last time out, Johan Santana got the better of his matchup against CC Sabathia, snapping a short two game losing streak to the Bronx Bombers in the process. Ironically, however, Santana has not been among the Mets better pitchers over their recent winning streak. In his last two starts, Santana has yielded four runs in each game, which although far from awful is still well below his career standard.

In a similar vein, C.C. Sabathia has perhaps been the Yankees’ weakest starter since the beginning of May. Despite being 7-3, Sabathia is sporting an ERA of 4.00 and has not had a dominant start since facing the Red Sox on May 18. Having said that, Sabathia has seemed to turn a corner, so this afternoon’s game could be the perfect opportunity for a breakout.

Derek Jeter returns to the Yankees lineup after missing yesterday’s game with a bruised heel, while Alex Rodriguez moves back to third base, opening up the DH slot for Jorge Posada. All three players have struggled over the past week, both with performance and nagging injuries, but the Yankees will need contributions from them because the lineup’s lack of depth has started to be exposed.  For the Mets, Jerry Manuel is once again going with his A-lineup, which features three right handed hitters (Reyes, Wright and Francoeur) who have been among the National League’s hottest hitters in June.  With two dominant lefties on the mound, the game could come down to whose right handed power can break through with a big hit or two.

As fun as the Subway Series can be, the Yankees’ reality lies in a what is shaping up to be an epic pennant race among the game’s three best teams. While it would definitely be nice to split the series with the Mets, the Yankees need to keep winning games just to keep possession of a playoff spot. Although a Subway Series victory would have more cachet for the Mets, their reality is not much different. Along with the Braves and Phillies, the Mets also have a heated three-team race in their future (and maybe more if the Marlins and Nationals can hang around). So, although each team will go their separate ways after the conclusion of their cross town showdown, they are likely headed down very similar paths that could very well reconvene in October.