SUBWAY SERIES ~ Battle In The Bronx - I

From the desks of:

HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET  and  BLAME CARLOS MAY

2012

New York City

SUBWAY SERIES

BATTLE IN THE BRONX

GAME ONE

NEW YORK METS

32-26  .552

vs.

NEW YORK YANKEES

31-25  .554

From

THE HOUSE THAT GEORGE BUILT

161st Street and River Avenue

BRONX

Bronx Bombers:  Derek Jeter Continues Along a Very Straight Line.

After fifty-five games this season, Derek Jeter is tied for the American League lead in hits with seventy-five.  That makes a total of 3,163 for his career and still climbing.  Twenty-one more will tie him with Cal Ripken for 13th all-time.

Derek Jeter is currently batting .319 this season.  That has neither enhanced nor decreased from the .313 career batting average he came into the 2012 season with.  However, he ended 2010 with a .314 batting average.

Derek Jeter started this season so unlike the manner in which he started last season, when so many wanted to write him off.  But Jeter gathered himself, and finished the 2011 season strong.  I just want him to protect his career .300 batting average.  He has two years left on his deal after this season.  I just hope he doesn't ruin it.  I wrote about this before in, Derek Jeter's Rectangular Cardboard Player Summary

Andy Pettitte:  The Swan Song.

Based on the way he is pitching this season, if Andy hadn't taken last season off, we might be having a very, very different conversation regarding Andy Pettitte's Hall of Fame credentials; very different indeed from the conversations that have already circulated over the last two season's of his career.

He now stands at three wins, with a week shy of four months left in the 2012 season.  Since his rookie season in 1995, Andy Pettitte has failed to achieve double-digit wins only once over his entire career.  In 2004 with Houston, Andy only managed to win six games while battling an injury.  He has double digit wins in every one of his seasons as a Yankee starting pitcher.  On the other side of his ledger, Andy has suffered two losses so far this season.  He has incurred double-digit losses over his career a mere five times.  Only two of those seasons came during his five prior campaigns.

NEW YORK METS:  Lucas Duda Is Cranking Up The Power.

The Dude is heating up.  Over the last week, Lucas Duda has wracked up nine RBI, and three home runs, while batting .299 over his last seven games.  He has five home runs in his last ten games. His ten home runs and thirty-five RBI lead the team.  As a matter of fact, half his RBI this season have come within the last ten days.  His six game hitting streak was stopped by Washington on Wednesday evening.  But he came back to go 2 for 4 in Thursday's game.

DH Jason Bay = Don't Hit; Not At Kirk Nieuwenhuis' Expense!

With the return of Jason Bay to active duty (maybe...), the Subway Series only offers the Mets a temporary solution to their suddenly crowded outfield situation.  Playing in Yankee Stadium gives the Mets an opportunity to utilize Bay as the DH, and ease him back into action.  But many, if not most fans, are against taking playing time away from Kirk Nieuwenhuis in order to fit Jason Bay in again. 

Demoting Ike Davis to AAA-Buffalo, and thereby creating room for Bay that way, is not exactly the ideal scenario either.  Plain and simple, we need Ike, and we need him soon.  But Jason Bay clearly represents a far costlier dilemma for this team.  And I'm hoping, like with many matters so far regarding Sandy Alderson's handling's, I hope the Mets do not base Jason Bay's playing time according to his salary.  If he warrants sitting, so be it.  If his play warrants more innings, again, so be it then.  But at this point, there is no reasonable justification to stifle Kirk Neiwenhuis' season now - not the way Kirk continues to play since being called up.

The Yankees draw Johan Santana tonight in his first game since tossing a no-hitter at Citi Field.  Johan has now tossed two consecutive complete game victories.  After tossing 134 pitches during his no-no, tonight we'll see the effects of him either over extending himself last time out, or whether giving Johan extra time off between starts was beneficial, or leaves him flat.

LET'S GO METS!

Mike.BTB