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Yankee Stadium
Last Meeting ( Jun 18, 2010 ) NY Mets 4, NY Yankees 0
Mike Pelfrey and Phil Hughes are in the midst of breakout seasons, and the promising young right-handers will go head-to-head when the Subway Series continues Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.
Pelfrey and the New York Mets will take their eight-game winning streak up against the New York Yankees, who hope Hughes can help stop their three-game skid.
Sending Pelfrey to the mound has been a good formula for the Mets, who are 11-2 when the 26-year-old starts this season. Pelfrey (9-1, 2.39 ERA) has won five consecutive decisions and has a 1.65 ERA in his last six starts.
That stretch includes a victory against the Yankees. Pelfrey held the Yankees to one run on six hits over six innings in a 5-3 win May 22 at Citi Field.
That win came the expense of Hughes, who on that day endured one of few rough outings this season. Hughes (9-1, 3.11 ERA) gave up four runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings in his first showdown with Pelfrey, suffering his only defeat of the season.
It has been smooth sailing since, as the 24-year-old has won his last four starts, though he has been helped by healthy run support - the Yankees have scored a total of 38 runs in those four contests.
He might not expect so much support on Saturday, as the Yankees have struggled to push across runs during their three-game losing streak. They've scored just four runs in the last three games - including their third shutout of the season in the series opener Friday - and are hitting .175 as a team during the losing streak.
Even red-hot Robinson Cano, who leads the majors with a .367 average, went 0-for-3 on Friday, ending his 10-game hitting streak.
Despite the skid, the Yankees are still tied with the Tampa Bay Rays for the AL East lead and the best record in the majors at 41-26, though they suddenly have competition for the best record in their own city.
The Mets have won 12 of 13 and 19 of 24 to pull within a half-game of the Atlanta Braves for the NL East lead and the best record in the National League.
They've hit .309 during their eight-game winning streak, which is all the more impressive considering the last seven wins have come on the road, where they were 8-18 entering this nine-game swing.
Nearly everyone in the Mets lineup has been swinging a hot bat, but third baseman David Wright, shortstop Jose Reyes and outfielder Angel Pagan have led the way.
Wright is 12-for-32 (.375) with two homers and 13 RBIs in the past seven games, Reyes is 19-for-44 (.432) during a 10-game hitting streak, and Pagan is 10-for-31 (.323) with six RBIs in the past seven games.