Tune in at 8:05 PM ET as the Yankees take on the Mets. Rob Sturney will be liveblogging for your enjoyment.
I'm Rob Sturney here with the rubber match of the second Subway Series of the season. What a pitching matchup we've got: Carsten Charles Sabathia versus Robert Alan Dickey.
The Yankees lead the AL East by two games over the Orioles. The Mets trail the NL East leading Nationals by three games.
R.A. Dickey is, quite simply, one of the stories of the year. This knuckleballer leads the NL in wins, ERA and WHIP and is second to Strasburg in strikeouts. Amazingly, his last outing versus Baltimore was his second 1-hitter in a row. That's the first time that happened since Dave Stieb in 1988. He's gone 42 2/3 innings without giving up a run.
He's been able to keep his knuckleball high and has so much control of it that sometimes his catchers set up behind the plate left or right, not in the middle like a hockey goalie.
Bob Uecker: "How do you catch a knuckleball? Wait until it stops rolling and then go pick it up."
CC Sabathia is tied for second in the AL with 9 wins (Verlander went a complete game to win his 10th today) and is second to Verlander in strikeouts with 102. His ERA is 3.55.
Lineups: Yankees:
SS Jeter
CF Granderson
3B Rodriguez
2B Cano
1B Teixeira
RF Swisher
LF Ibanez
C Stewart
P Sabathia
Mets:
CF Torres
SS Tejeda
3B Wright
LF Hairston
RF Duda
1B Turner
2B Cedeno
C Thole
P Dickey
Terry Collins has Tejeda back from a quad injury
Hairston still fills in for Jason Bay in left field. Bay is on the seven day DL. Ike Davis, who was on a batting tear over the last week, is still ill.
The Yankees had a ten-game winning streak halted by the Braves, the first series they had lost in a long time. They lost the first game of the series against the Mets 6-4 due in part to Davis's three run homer. Yesterday, they exploded in the seventh with - you guessed it - home runs. Ibanez hit a three run homer to tie the game and then Chavez clubbed a solo dinger for the 4-3 score line.
The Mets are sticking in the race for the NL East and the wild cards through tenacity and Dickey. They're very streaky: swept by the Yankees two weeks ago, they then swept the Rays, got swept by the Reds, then swept the Orioles.
In that first Subway Series, the Yankees hit 8 homeruns in three games and their starters posted an 1.86 ERA. Citi Field is not so hitter friendly.
And now for my Simplified Scouting Reports. Yankees: Great offense, good pitching. Mets: Good offense, good pitching.
For those who haven't heard yet, the Red Sox traded Youkilis to the White Sox for a utility player and a right hand pitcher. In his last game with Boston today he hit an RBI triple and took an emotional curtain call.
Last night was an unusual one for the left side of the Yankees infield. Both Jeter and Rodriguez made an error.
The Bronx Bombers will go on to play Cleveland and the ChiSox, who are involved in a fine battle for the AL Central, in their next two series, while the Mets take on the Cubs and the Dodgers.
Sabathia will see Torres, Tejeda and Wright in the first inning.
I think Thole might be wearing a proper catcher's mitt. Sometimes backstops who catch knuckleballs wear a first baseman's mitt.
Yeah, I think the White Sox were really in need of a third baseman too.
Here comes Dickey to the mound. He'll see Jeter, Granderson and Rodriguez in the first inning.
Jeter is hitting .310 with 92 hits and 25 RBI's.
The crowd is really pumped up for this. They know they have a real gem and a heck of a story in RA Dickey.
Jeter hits a weak chopper to the mound. Dickey throws him out.
Knuckleballs are usually in the 70's. He keeps it high too.
Granderson has 21 homeruns, that's 5th in the AL. He'll clip one over to Cedeno at second. Two out.
Now the booing lets you know ARod is up to the plate. He's hitting .265 with 68 hits and 33 RBI. His second offering is a fluttering knuckball. He misses it.
Oh, my! The knuckleball gets away on Dickey and Rodriguez had to bail out backwards. That was 80 mph.
And Dickey scores with the knuckleball. That's a backward K. End of the Yankees' side of the inning.
Yeah, this is a real treat, folks. A rare knuckleballer, and a dominating one too.
Now Sabathia will face Torres, Tejeda and Wright.
They appealed that, to no avail.
Torres is hitting only .207 with 28 hits and 17 RBI's. He watches a strike and then misses a sinker.
Torres clips the ball into the left corner. Just foul.
Torres fouls the off-speed pitch to stay alive.
