New York @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 19, 2015 ) NY Yankees 5, NY Mets 0

The New York Mets aren’t sure how many more starts they will get out of ace Matt Harvey, but they hope for something special from the right-hander in the rubber match of a three-game series with the visiting New York Yankees on Sunday. Harvey limited the Yankees to two runs over 8 2/3 innings in a win earlier this season but isn’t likely to go nearly as deep this time – he is within 8 1/3 innings of the 180-inning limit agent Scott Boras has suggested for his client.

Not knowing what they can expect from Harvey is a difficult situation for the Mets, who remain seven games clear of Washington in the National League East and have trimmed their magic number to eight to clinch the division. The Yankees are safely entrenched as the top wild card in the American League but have some work to do to catch AL East leader Toronto, which has a 3 1/2-game cushion. “We’ve been fighting and fighting,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi told reporters. “I think in a sense we’ve been playing playoff baseball for a while.” The Yankees had lost seven of 10 before homers from Carlos Beltran and Brian McCann powered them to a 5-0 victory Saturday.

TV: 8:08 p.m. ET, ESPN

PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees LH CC Sabathia (4-9, 4.93 ERA) vs. Mets RH Matt Harvey (12-7, 2.88)

Sabathia is coming off one of his best outings in a difficult season, having held Tampa Bay scoreless over 6 2/3 innings on Monday. He didn’t get enough support to earn the win, though, and is winless in nine starts since July 8. Sabathia is 3-2 with a 3.49 ERA in six career starts against the Mets, but they hammered him for seven runs and nine hits over five innings in a loss earlier this season.

Harvey is making his first start since Sept. 8, when he endured a nightmare outing by allowing seven runs and eight hits over 5 1/3 innings at Washington. The Mets rallied to get him off the hook, but the poor performance didn’t sit well with Mets fans given the 26-year-old’s innings-limit controversy. Harvey has been outstanding in two starts in the Subway Series, going 1-0 with a 1.62 ERA.

WALK-OFFS

1. Beltran went 2-for-4 with three RBIs on Saturday but is only a .207 hitter in 25 career games against the Mets.

2. Mets OF Yoenis Cespedes, who is 1-for-11 with four strikeouts against Sabathia, is hitless in 16 at-bats over his past four games.

3. Mets RH Tyler Clippard has been unavailable out of the bullpen the past two games after experiencing back tightness while playing catch Friday.

PREDICTION: Mets 4, Yankees 3