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May 16, 2008

Prospectus Preview

Friday's Games to Watch

by Caleb Peiffer

Today's Full Slate of Games

Matchup: Mets (20-19) at Yankees (20-22), 7:05 p.m. ET
Probable Starters: Johan Santana (52 1/3 IP, 3.27 RA, 1.11 WHIP, 52 K) vs. Darrell Rasner (12, 4 R, 9 H, 5/1 K/BB)
Pythagorean Record: Mets, 20-19 (186 RS, 178 RA); Yankees, 20-22 (173 RS, 179 RA)
Hit List Rankings: Mets, #8; Yankees, #15
Prospectus: The 12^th season of interleague play begins tonight in the Bronx, as the Mets hop on the 6 train to play their final regular-season series at Yankee Stadium. Since the two teams first played in 1997, the Yankees have gone 35-25 against the Mets, and 19-10 at home, not including the Bombers' five-game victory in the 2000 Subway Series. Despite their struggles versus the Yankees, the Amazin's have had some memorable moments throughout the rivalry. In the first-ever game between the two teams, on June 16, 1997 at Yankee Stadium, Dave Mlicki pitched a complete game shutout for a 6-0 Mets victory. In 1999, the Mets beat Roger Clemens twice, with Mike Piazza homering off of him both times, and also got a two-out, two-strike, two-run ninth-inning single by pinch-hitter Matt Franco against Mariano Rivera to come back for a 9-8 win at Shea (the Mets beat Rivera in 2001 and 2006, as well). There has also been ugliness between the two teams: the subway doubleheader of June 8, 2000--due to a rainout the teams played a day game at Yankee Stadium (a 4-2 Yankees win) and a night game at Shea (also won by the Bombers 4-2)--was marred when Clemens, after having lost again to the Mets in the first series, beaned Piazza in the head with a first-inning fastball, forcing Piazza to exit. That incident spilled over into the World Series, when Clemens threw the barrel of Piazza's broken bat at the Mets catcher in the first inning of Game Two.

But that's history, and the Mets hope that their newly-imported ace, a well-known Yankees killer, can help lead them to just their second seasonal series win over their AL rivals. Santana is 3-0 lifetime against the Yankees in eight games (five starts), with a 2.66 RA in 40 2/3 innings. He will be opposed by Rasner, who has turned in two straight six-inning, two-run outings since filling in for the injured Philip Hughes. Those are the first Quality Starts that Rasner has thrown since September of 2006--he did not go more than 5 2/3 in his first four starts last year while again filling in for an injured Hughes, although he was pitching relatively well leading up to a May 19 start at Shea Stadium. In that game, Rasner gave up a leadoff single to Jose Reyes before two-hole hitter Endy Chavez ripped a ball off Rasner's hand. The hit broke Rasner's finger, forcing him to undergo surgery and miss the remainder of the season.

Matchup: Brewers (20-21) at Red Sox (24-19), 7:05 p.m. ET
Probable Starters: Jeff Suppan (46 2/3 IP, 5.21 RA, 1.56 WHIP, 21 K) vs. Daisuke Matsuzaka (47 2/3, 2.45, 1.22, 40) Pythagorean Record: Milwaukee, 18-23 (177 RS, 198 RA); Boston, 24-19 (216 RS, 193 RA)
Hit List Rankings: Milwaukee, #24; Boston, #2
Prospectus: The Brewers make their first trip to Fenway Park tonight since September 7, 1997, when Milwaukee was a member of the American League Central. Upon moving to the senior circuit in '98, the Brewers have played one interleague series with Boston, losing two of three at Miller Park in 2003. That's not to say that this year's edition of the Brewers is entirely unfamiliar with Beantown, for several of Milwaukee's veterans have played for the Red Sox. Reserve outfielder Gabe Kapler was a fan favorite at Fenway when he played in Boston from 2003-06 before retiring to coach in the minors last year, and it's likely that the Nation will give him a warm welcome, for those memories as well as the great story Kapler has forged with his comeback.

Far less likely to receive adulation are the other two former Red Sox on Milwaukee's roster, one of whom is tonight's starting pitcher. Boston dealt Mike Gonzalez and Freddy Sanchez to the Pirates at the 2003 trading deadline for Suppan, who was originally drafted by the Red Sox and pitched the first three seasons of his career in Boston. Suppan was roughed up in that original go-round, and he was even more horrible in his second stint after being acquired for the stretch drive--a 5.86 RA in 63 innings led to his being left off Boston's post-season roster. Meanwhile, Gonzalez became one of the best lefty relievers in baseball from 2004 to '07, and Sanchez won the 2006 batting title. Then there's Eric Gagne, whose story is strikingly similar to Suppan's: the Red Sox parted with another duo of productive players (Kason Gabbard and David Murphy) to add him at last year's deadline, and Gagne then suffered through a similar implosion (14 runs in 18 2/3 innings) before leaving via free agency. Gagne has been just as shaky with the Brewers as he was with Boston, and even was temporarily removed from the closer's role last weekend, adding drama and ammunition for the hecklers to any potential save situation. In addition to that duo, old-time Boston fans might even boo current Brewers manager and former player Ned Yost, who, as was mentioned on yesterday's Milwaukee TV broadcast, knocked a pinch-hit, two-out, three-run homer to break open a 3-3 game in the ninth at Fenway on September 29 of 1982, a win that helped Milwaukee take the AL East by one game over Baltimore.