METS (20-22, fifth place/NL East) vs. YANKEES (25-16, second place/AL East)

Friday: LHP Hisanori Takahashi (3-1, 3.12) vs. RHP Javier Vazquez (2-4, 8.01), 7:10 p.m. ET

Saturday: RHP Mike Pelfrey (5-1, 3.02) vs. RHP Phil Hughes (5-0, 2.25), 7:10 p.m. ET

Sunday: LHP Johan Santana (3-2, 3.72) vs. LHP CC Sabathia (4-2, 3.43), 8:05 p.m. ET, ESPN
Yankees short hops:

In his third career relief appearance, Javier Vazquez struck out Kevin Youkilis on Monday to end the top of the ninth. Vazquez picked up his first career relief victory. It marked the most career starts before picking up a relief win in the majors since Kevin Brown with the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Montreal Expos on Aug. 16, 2002. Brown had 408 starts under his belt. Vazquez had 391. Vazquez pitched well in his last start. He allowed two runs on five hits and two walks in seven innings, yet was charged with the loss on May 12 against the Detroit Tigers. … Catcher Jorge Posada has a hairline fracture of his right foot and is expected to miss three to four weeks. Catcher Francisco Cervelli has the best average with runners in scoring position in the majors. Chad Moeller, who was released by the Baltimore Orioles and was hitting .207 in nine games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, joined Cervelli as the backup. … Phil Hughes and Andy Pettitte were both off to 5-0 starts before Pettitte was tagged with the loss Thursday against the Tampa Bay Rays. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it marked the fourth time in the past 50 years two Yankees starting pitchers won their first five decisions in a season. The others: Kevin Brown and Orlando Hernandez (2004), Mike Mussina and David Wells (’03) and Ron Guidry and Tommy John (1980). Hughes, who was competing for the fifth starter’s role in spring training, now is competing for an All-Star spot in Anaheim, Calif. His lone subpar outing this season came in his last start, when he was charged with five runs in five innings and surrendered homers to David Ortiz and J.D. Drew, while receiving a no-decision in an 11-9 win against Boston. … Second baseman Robinson Cano is tied for the most homers in the majors against left-handed pitchers. He was the American League Player of the Month for April and MVP of team. … Outfielder Curtis Granderson landed on the disabled list May 2 with a strained left groin, prompting Brett Gardner to man center field. Marcus Thames and Randy Winn have been seeing significant action in left field -- although Thames sprained his left ankle Wednesday and is day to day. Nick Swisher has been out this week with a left biceps strain, but returned Thursday. The bench has been short because of the injuries. The depletion even got to the point where utility infielder Ramiro Pena, who played a little outfield in minors, has filled in at right field. Utility player Kevin Russo was promoted with Moeller. … Shortstop Derek Jeter has slumped badly this month, with a .169 average (12-for-71) in his last 16 starts through Wednesday. Jeter, who has looked a step slower this season, then had three hits and two RBIs Thursday. Jeter remains the active leader in career hits, leading runner-up Ken Griffey Jr. On May 7 against Boston, Jeter passed Lou Gehrig for second on the Yankees’ all-time games played list with No. 2,165. … Nick Johnson underwent surgery Tuesday on his right wrist. … Third baseman Alex Rodriguez’s power has precipitously declined this season. A-Rod has six homers, half came in a six-game stretch through Wednesday. … Johan Santana better watch out for CC Sabathia at the plate. Sabathia has a .261 average with three homers and 14 RBIs in 92 career at-bats. The three pitchers Sabathia has taken deep: current teammate Chan Ho Park as well as Homer Bailey and Elizardo Ramirez. … Closer Mariano Rivera’s streak of 51 straight save conversions at home, which tied Eric Gagne’s major league record, ended Sunday when Rivera inherited the bases loaded from Joba Chamberlain and served up a grand slam to Minnesota’s Jason Kubel. Rivera had not surrendered a grand slam since July 14, 2002, against Cleveland’s Bill Selby. Rivera then was charged with a loss, although not in a save situation, when the Yankees coughed up a big lead to the Red Sox on Tuesday. The closer surrendered a tiebreaking two-run homer to Jeremy Hermida, although that was precipitated by Thames dropping a ball in right field. … Tuesday’s 7-6 loss to the Red Sox dropped the Yankees to 0-4 in one-game games. They’re the only team in the majors without a one-run victory.

Matchups

Takahashi vs. Yankees (career: never faced)

Pelfrey vs. Yankees (career: 1-1, 5.40 ERA)
Ramiro Pena 1.000, 1 RBI, 2 AB
Brett Gardner .667, 3 AB
Alex Rodriguez .500, 1 RBI, 4 AB
Derek Jeter .333, 3 AB
Mark Teixeira .308, 2 RBIs, 13 AB
Robinson Cano .167, 1 RBI, 6 AB
Randy Winn .100, 1 RBI, 10 AB
Francisco Cervelli .000, 3 AB

Santana vs. Yankees (career: 4-2, 4.40 ERA)
Francisco Cervelli 1.000, 1 RBI, 2 AB
Derek Jeter .423, 1 HR, 5 RBIs, 26 AB
Robinson Cano .412, 1 RBI, 17 AB
Randy Winn .235, 1 RBI, 17 AB
Mark Teixeira .231, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 26 AB
Alex Rodriguez .217, 2 HR, 2 RBIs, 23 AB
Nick Swisher .200, 1 RBI, 15 AB
Marcus Thames .118, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 34 AB
Chad Moeller .000, 9 AB

Vazquez vs. Mets (career: 9-8, 3.37 ERA)
Gary Matthews Jr. .600, 1 HR, 2 RBIs, 10 AB
Jeff Francoeur .400, 1 HR, 4 RBIs, 5 AB
Alex Cora .381, 1 RBI, 21 AB
David Wright .375, 1 HR, 1 RBIs, 8 AB
Luis Castillo .361, 1 HR, 7 RBIs, 72 AB
Angel Pagan .333, 3 AB
Fernando Tatis .300, 10 AB
Jose Reyes .231, 13 AB
Henry Blanco .200, 1 HR, 3 RBIs, 20 AB
Jason Bay .167, 12 AB
Rod Barajas .133, 1 RBI, 15 AB

Hughes vs. Mets (career: 0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Gary Matthews Jr. .250, 4 AB
Jason Bay .167, 6 AB
Rod Barajas .000, 2 AB
Alex Cora .000, 1 AB
Jeff Francoeur .000, 1 AB

Sabathia vs. Mets (career: 2-0, 1.20 ERA)
Rod Barajas .421, 3 HR, 5 RBIs, 19 AB
Henry Blanco .286, 2 RBI, 7 AB
Jeff Francoeur .286, 1 RBI, 7 AB
Fernando Tatis .250, 4 AB
Luis Castillo .211, 1 RBI, 19 AB
Gary Matthews Jr. .192, 1 RBI, 26 AB
Jason Bay .111, 9 AB
Alex Cora .000, 3 AB
David Wright .000, 3 AB

Last series results:

Yankees won 3-0 at Citi Field, June 26-28, 2009 (AP game recaps)

Yankees 9, Mets 1: Three errors by Mets infielders led to a four-run second inning, Alex Rodriguez added his 564th home run to pass Reggie Jackson on the career list and CC Sabathia pitched the Yankees to a victory in the first Subway Series game at Citi Field. Fill-in leadoff batter Brett Gardner had a career-high five hits, including his third home run of the season and a triple. Rodriguez made it 7-1 with a two-run, opposite-field drive in the eighth off reliever Elmer Dessens, into the right-center field bullpens for his 11th homer this season. Actress Kate Hudson, who has attended some of A-Rod’s recent games, was looking on from the stands as he moved into sole possession of 11th place on the career list. Before homering at Atlanta's Turner Field on the previous night, Rodriguez hadn't hit one on the road since his first swing of the season, on May 8 at Baltimore. Fans got to see some abysmal defense, with third baseman David Wright, shortstop Alex Cora and first baseman Nick Evans contributing to the Mets' first three-error inning in five years. Sabathia (7-4) was the beneficiary. He left his previous start at Florida after 1 1/3 innings because of tightness in his left biceps, a problem he said wasn't major. His arm appeared to be fine this time, with the stadium radar clocking him at up to 98 mph. He started 18 of 24 batters with strikes. Sabathia allowed the Mets' only three hits, in seven innings, struck out eight and walked one. Mike Pelfrey (5-3) dropped to 1-3 in his last nine starts, allowing four runs, two earned, and six hits in five innings. Gary Sheffield homered in the fifth for the Mets. Exactly two weeks earlier in the first Subway Series at new Yankee Stadium, second baseman Luis Castillo dropped what would have been a game-ending popup by Rodriguez, allowing two runs to score and giving the Yankees a shocking 9-8 win. This time, Castillo fielded flawlessly. Fans applauded loudly when, with the bases loaded in the seventh, he caught consecutive popups by Francisco Cervelli and Pena. After a 52-minute rain delay, for four innings it appeared Sabathia might achieve in Citi Field's 37th game what Philadelphia's Jim Bunning accomplished in Shea Stadium's 31st, back in 1964: A perfect game. Although he went to three-ball counts four times, Sabathia retired his first 12 batters. The 40-year-old Sheffield was back in the lineup following a cortisone shot to relieve inflammation and a fluid buildup in his right knee. He drove a 1-1 breaking ball into the left-field seats for his ninth homer this season and No. 508 of his career. The Mets put two on with one out, but Sabathia struck out Omir Santos and pinch-hitter Argenis Reyes. Melky Cabrera had led off the second with a slow bouncer to third that Wright barehanded and threw past first, allowing Cabrera to wind up at second. One out later, Ramiro Pena hit opposite-field double to left, driving in the first run. Sabathia, who hadn't hit in a game since Sept. 28, 2008 with the Milwaukee Brewers, singled up the middle on the next pitch for his 14th career RBI. There were chants of "Let's go Yankees" as Gardner blooped a single down the left-field line, with Sabathia huffing and puffing his way to second. Johnny Damon then hit a sharp grounder to Cora that should have been an inning-ending double play. But the shortstop threw the ball into right field, allowing Sabathia to score. Mark Teixeria grounded to first, and Evans fumbled the ball with both his glove and bare hand, knocking it into foul territory as Gardner scored for a 4-0 lead. A walk to Rodriguez loaded the bases, and fans applauded when Robinson Cano hit a soft liner to Castillo for the second out. Cabrera's grounder to second ended the inning.

Yankees 5, Mets 0: A.J. Burnett and two relievers authored a suffocating one-hitter in a runaway Subway Series. Alex Cora got the Mets' only hit, lining a clean single to center on a 0-1 curveball leading off the sixth. Cora had been 0-for-21 against Burnett (6-4). Nick Swisher and Jorge Posada made Citi Field seem small with opposite-field homers off Tim Redding (1-3). The Yankees, starting Burnett behind CC Sabathia for the first time, have won four of five against the Mets this season, outscoring them 40-15. The Mets, who didn't reach base after Cora, have been outscored 14-1 and outhit 22-4 in the first two games of the weekend series. They made out 1-2-3 in 14 of 18 innings. The Yankees have won four of five against their crosstown rivals, clinching the season series for the first time since sweeping all six meetings in 2003. Burnett beat the Mets and Santana 15-0 on June 14 at new Yankee Stadium, allowing four singles in seven innings. Coming off a five-game suspension for throwing high and tight to Texas' Nelson Cruz on June 2, he struck out a season-high 10 in seven innings and walked three. Brian Bruney and David Robertson each followed with a perfect inning before 41,302, the second straight record crowd at Citi Field and just the fourth sellout there this season. Cora's single came on the 80th of Burnett's 108 pitches. Joe Girardi said he probably would have limited Burnett to 115. Burnett pitched a no-hitter for Florida against San Diego in 2001 despite nine walks. He wanted another. Melky Cabrera preserved this bid with a running, one-handed grab on the left-field warning track against Daniel Murphy starting the fifth. Just two opposite-field homers were hit in the first 37 games at Citi Field, by Washington's Nick Johnson (April 24) and Adam Dunn (May 26). The Yankees had three in two games, starting with Alex Rodriguez's drive in the eighth inning of the series opener, the first by a right-handed batter. Swisher homered to left-center in the third, and the Yankees broke it open in the sixth with hits on four consecutive pitches. Mark Teixeira doubled off the bottom of the wall in right-center and scored when Rodriguez singled. Robinson Cano doubled against the base of the fence in the left-field corner, and Posada finished Redding with a homer to left-center.

Yankees 4, Mets 2: Mariano Rivera earned his 500th save, becoming the second reliever to reach the milestone, for a Subway Series sweep. Chien-Ming Wang won for the first time in more than a year and Rivera got four outs. In a fun twist on a night that belonged to him, Rivera even contributed offensively by drawing a bases-loaded walk from Francisco Rodriguez in the ninth for his first career RBI. It was the third regular-season plate appearance for the 39-year-old closer and second in five days. Mark Teixeira hit a two-run double off Livan Hernandez (5-3) in a three-run first, when the Yankees had two of their four hits. The injury-depleted Mets managed five, their best offensive output of the three-game series. The Yankees took five of six games from their crosstown rivals this season, handing the Mets their first sweep in 13 series at their new home, Citi Field. Rivera entered with two on in the eighth and went to a full count on Omir Santos before throwing a called third strike. The right-hander pitched a one-hit ninth for his 18th save in 19 chances this season. He joined Milwaukee's Trevor Hoffman (571 saves) as the only major leaguers with 500. After the final out, Teixeira handed Rivera the game ball and the Yankees poured out of the dugout to hug him near first base. Still struggling with his command, Wang (1-6) allowed four hits and three walks in a season-high 5 1/3 innings. He was pulled with a runner on second, but Phil Coke and Phil Hughes got the Yankees out of the sixth unscathed. Hughes worked around a leadoff walk in a hitless seventh, and Brian Bruney started the eighth. He got two outs but walked two batters before manager Joe Girardi called on Rivera, whose first save came on May 17, 1996. Girardi and Derek Jeter each had two hits and an RBI in that game. Following a season-ending foot injury last June, Wang has been unable to rediscover the form that made him a 19-game winner in 2006 and '07. His previous win was June 15, 2008 in Houston, where he was injured while scoring on Jeter's single. The sinkerballer was 0-3 with a 34.50 ERA after three starts this season, then went on the disabled list for nearly a month with weakness in the adductor muscles in his hips. The Mets cut it to 3-2 in the fourth. Fernando Martinez snapped an 0-for-16 slump with an RBI double and scored on Luis Castillo's two-out single. It took three batters for the Yankees to grab the lead against Hernandez. Back in the lineup after missing two games with flu symptoms, Jeter doubled off the left-field fence. Nick Swisher followed with a grounder to first and Daniel Murphy made a curious choice, trying to throw out Jeter at third. He beat the play, allowing Swisher to reach safely as well. Teixeira sliced a two-run double into the left-field corner and later scored on Jorge Posada's sacrifice fly.