Yankees vs. Mets Preview
NEW YORK (AP) – The AL-leading New York Yankees are enjoying their longest win streak of the season as they get back a starter who has enjoyed surprising success.
Bartolo Colon will be activated off the disabled list Saturday when the Yankees look for a seventh straight win as they continue this weekend’s Subway Series at Citi Field against the New York Mets.
According to MLB odds and oddsmakers from online sports book Bodog have made the Yankees -121 money line favorites for Saturday’s game against the Mets. Current MLB Public Betting Information shows that 64% of more than 2,308 bets for this game have been placed on the Yankees -121.
The Yankees (49-31) have scored 49 runs and seen their starters post a 2.27 ERA during this win streak. The rotation should get a boost with the return of Colon (5-3, 3.10 ERA), out since he strained his left hamstring trying to cover first in a victory over Cleveland on June 11.
The 38-year-old right-hander went 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA in his last three outings before going on the DL.
Colon, who missed all of last season due to a procedure designed to regenerate tissue in his shoulder and elbow, leads all Yankee starters with a strikeout-per nine innings ratio of 8.3, and opponents are hitting .227 against him.
The Yankees want Colon to be careful at the plate since he will be batting for the first time since June 16, 2008, with Boston.
“He’s got to do what he’s got to do,” manager Joe Girardi told the Yankees’ official website. “Whatever I ask him to do up there offensively, he’s got to do it.”
Colon is 3-1 with a 3.46 ERA in four starts against the Mets (41-41). Carlos Beltran has the most experience of anyone on the home team against him, going 12 for 38 with four homers.
Jose Reyes, who is 2 for 3 against Colon, had two hits in Friday’s 5-1 loss for his major league-leading 43rd multihit effort. The Mets shortstop’s night was more notable, however, for being thrown out advancing on a contested call that resulted in manager Terry Collins’ ejection.
“He’s done that all year for us, and nine out of 10, he’s safe, and created runs and created all that energy that picks the club up,” Collins said.
The Mets have totaled three runs while losing their last two games after racking up 52 runs and 69 hits – 20 for extra bases – during the four-game win streak that preceded those defeats.
Mark Teixeira drove in two runs for the Yankees on Friday and Eduardo Nunez became the fourth player in franchise history to go 4 for 4 in a Subway Series game, joining Derek Jeter, Bobby Abreu and Hideki Matsui.
Nunez is hitting .309 since Jeter went down with a strained right calf in mid-June.
“He’s done a good job of just trying to be himself,” Girardi said. “I’ve been very pleased with the way he’s played in Derek’s absence.”
The Yankees are a major league-best 23-4 in day games, and no team has a better interleague record than their 12-4 mark.
They will get their first look at Mets starter Dillon Gee (8-1, 3.32), tied for the major league lead among rookies in victories with the Yankees’ Ivan Nova – Friday’s winning pitcher. Gee bounced back from his first 2011 loss by allowing three runs over six innings Sunday to get credit for an 8-5 victory at Texas.
The Mets are 11-1 in the right-hander’s 12 starts.
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