The Yankees and Mets. Another crack at the Subway Series?

Are the Yankees back?

As a Yankee fan, things are finally coming together. They have won 10 of their last 12 and 7 in a row and are back to .500 again. The rotation is finally healthy again. Clemens pitched well, not great, but well. His splitter still has a lot of action on it. His fastball was only topping out at 91-92, but with his movement, control and "Mr. Splitty" (A real dumb nickname for a pitch), it was more than enough to strikeout 7 Pirates. Sure he's probably 'Roiding up, but I don't care. The offense is finally hitting the way they're supposed to with Abreu and Cano hitting their stride again Jeter, Posada and A-Rod (Haters please raise your hands) and balancing the offense out. Probably more importantly, its time for some more (yay!) interleague play.

Ah yes, interleague play, the soft part of the schedule. Or, as AL teams like to call it, "Sexy Time". Going into last nights game the AL had won 51 times to the NL's 35 wins. Just a little more stats:

________AL _________NL
Avg. _____.289 ________ .251
HR's _____104 __________94
ERA _____4.10 ________5.45

The Yankees have been reaping the benefits of interleague play to the tune of 107-73 since it began in 1996. This should allow them to make up even more ground in the standings. Currently, they are 9.5 games behind the Red Sox in the AL East. Although, I'm not holding my breath waiting for them to catch the Sawx. Their pitching is too good and they have been pretty healthy. However, if they lose their top 8 starters in their organization for any length of time in teh second half, the way the Yankees did in the first, I like their chances. Instead, I am focusing more on the Wild Card, which they are currently only 5.5 games behind current leaders Cleveland and Detroit who are tied for the lead. With the Yankees resurgence, this should be an exciting summer.

Better times ahead for Mets?

The Mets have hit a rough patch with injuries of their own after steamrolling their way through the first third of their schedule. Their entire outfield had been on the DL at one time or another which would be tough for any team. Shawn Green just came off the DL this week leaving only Moises Alou (quad strain and octogenarian-at-large) and Endy Chavez on the 15-day DL with a pulled hamstring. They are in the midst of a 4 game losing streak and have only won 2 of their last 10 games played. John Maine has come back down to earth after his phenomenal start, settling back into his role as a number 3 starter. El Duque is pitching like he did 10 years ago, although pitching in the NL may have something to so with that. If they get to the playoffs - which they should - he will be a great asset as his track record has shown.

After finishing up their series with the Dodgers they play 3 more AL teams. The highlight of these upcoming games is another Subway Series with the Yankees. The City always comes alive with the bickering that usually ensues. This year, the rivalry has been somewhat subdued with the Yankees horrible start to the season, but I am sure it will pick up some steam as the Series approaches. The interleague part of the schedule couldn't have come at a worse time for the Mets with their injuries and slumping bats. Carlos Delgado has looked lost at the plate at times and, probably more importantly, his bat looks slow. This places more pressure than ever on their cornerstones, Reyes and Wright, to carry them with their upcoming series against The Yankees, Minnesota and Oakland. Luckily, the Mets have not had any injuries fall upon their two brightest stars. Wright's power swing seems to be coming around to compliment the always superb Reyes who is quickly supplanting New York's other shortstop, Jeter, as the best all around shortstop in New York. However, I expect the Yankees to take at least 2 out of the 3 upcoming games this weekend extending the Mets difficult times. Although, with their offense and bullpen, they are the class of the NL and should make the playoffs unless the injury bug rears its ugly head at their starting pitchers.