July 6, 2008

NY home games: Mets, Yankees and All-Stars

NewYorkology contributor Scott Ross keeps you abreast of upcoming Mets and Yankees home games in New York City. Ross toils in anonymity for a giant online news aggregator. Here’s your look at major league baseball in New York City for the next two weeks:

Not surprisingly, the Mets have continued to play .500 ball under new skipper Jerry Manuel. This is what average teams do.

Their saving grace at this juncture of the season is the apparent indifference to winning among the other teams in the NL East. The Metropolitans will play host to two of the four worst teams in all of baseball this week, the San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies, giving themselves a good chance to chip away at the Philles’ 4 1/2-game lead.

Easily the most enticing match-up of the week at Shea will be Wednesday’s game featuring Tim Lincecum against Johan Santana. The 24-year-old Lincecum reminds some folks of Sandy Koufax with his slight frame – 5’ 11”, 170 lb. – and long stride. Apparently Lincecum’s father modeled his son’s delivery on Koufax, though their wind-ups are very different.

Santana has pitched far better than his record would indicate – he’s 0-4 over his past five starts despite a 2.53 ERA in those games. These two promise as much excitement as one can hope for in Queens this summer.

While the Mets benefit from being in a woeful division, the Yankees suddenly find themselves also-rans in the game’s powerhouse division. The defending champion Red Sox are a known quantity, but the Tampa Bay Devil Rays have made the leap from “appealing band of scrapping young talents” to “force to be reckoned with.” They’ve put together the best record in baseball despite having played the toughest schedule of any team. Their offense leads the league in runs per game on the road thanks to a line-up that hits homers, steals bases and draws walks. Their pitching staff has the second-best ERA+ in the AL, thanks in large part to the most improved defense … maybe ever.

The Devil Rays are turning 72 percent of balls in play into outs, good for second in the league and up from last year’s atrocious 66.2 percent. And there’s reason to think they can’t be just as good if not better in the second half of the season. Nobody’s playing beyond expectations and a few guys have been below and will likely turn it around.

Go see this team play. They’re young, they’re tough, they play hard and they’re fun to watch – if you can get past the likelihood that they’re beating your team’s brains in. Scott Kazmir – the man the Mets let go in return for the wrong Zambrano – is already an ace at the age of 24 and will win a Cy Young or two before he’s 30. Someone should call Greenpeace before he’s allowed to face Sidney Ponson on Tuesday.

And lest we forget, the All-Star Game is coming to town, as the two leagues square-off to see who gets to be the home team come the World Series. The last time the NL won this game, the Dow had yet to break 8,000, Princess Diana and Mother Theresa were still alive – though not for long – and none of us had heard of Moninca Lewinsky. There’s no reason to think this year should be any different as the AL players have outpaced the NL in interleague play 149-102.

San Francisco Giants at New York Mets
Tue. Jul 8 @ 7:10, Kevin Correia (1-5) vs. Mike Pelfry (5-6)
Wed. Jul 9 @ 7:10, Tim Lincecum (9-1) vs. Johan Santana (7-7)
Thurs. July 10 @ 1:10 Jonathan Sanchez (8-4) vs. John Maine (8-6)

Colorado Rockies at New York Mets
Fri. Jul 11 @ 7:10 Aaron Cook (11-5) vs. Oliver Perez (6-5)
Sat. Jul 12 @ 3:55 Ubaldo Jimenez (2-8) vs. Pedro Martinez (2-2)
Sun. Jul 13 @ 8:05 Jeff Francis (3-7) vs. Mike Pelfry

Tampa Bay Devil Rays at New York Yankees
Tue. Jul 8 @ 7:05, Scott Kazmir (7-3) vs. Sidney Ponson (5-1)
Wed. Jul 9 @ 1:05, Edwin Jackson (4-6) vs. Andy Pettitte (9-5)

National League vs. American League at Yankee Stadium
Tue. July 15 @ 8:05 All-Star Game

Oakland A’s at New York Yankees
Impossible to tell what the match-ups will be, but here’s the schedule:
Fri. Jul 18 @ 7:05
Sat. Jul 19 @ 1:05
Sun. Jul 20 @ 1:05

Tickets to Yankees games can be purchased here. See NewYorkology’s guide to Yankee Stadium for the rundown on how to get there, where to meet, eat and eventually, sit.

Tickets to Mets games can be purchased here, while directions for getting to and around the stadium are also available. (The New York Water Taxi will not be running the Mets Express to Shea during the 2008 season but Rocks Off Concert Cruises and Seastreak are hitting some games.)

Image source: Forever Collectibles 2008 All-Star Game Statue of Liberty Statues on Parade 9 Inch Figure

July 6, 2008 3:05 PM in Kids, Out of Manhattan, Sports

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