Free Live Odds - Scores and Odds - Sports News - Sports Information - Live Scores - Sports Statistics - Sports Articles - Sports Standings - Live Scoreboard - Live Odds - Sporting Events - Live Lines

Game Two: NY Yankees - Sidney Ponson (4-1, 3.88) NY Mets - Pedro Martinez (2-1, 6.57)

(Sports Network) - The Yankees and Mets kick off a four-game Subway Series this afternoon with a unique day-night doubleheader in the Big Apple. The first contest will be played at Yankee Stadium, then the teams will travel across town and play the second game at Shea Stadium.

The final two games of the series will then be played in Flushing.

Today's double-dip came about following a postponement on May 16. This is the third time the teams will play each other in two different parks on the same day. The Yankees swept the first two twinbills on July 8, 2000 and June 28, 2003.

The Mets, who are 2-0 against the Yanks this season, have split their first eight games with Jerry Manuel at the helm and have moved 3 1/2 games back of the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East.

After getting drubbed two nights in a row by the lowly Seattle Mariners at home, the Mets salvaged the finale of that three-game series on Wednesday, as David Wright homered in his first two at-bats, helping his team to an 8-2 win at Shea Stadium.

Wright had played every inning of every game this season before sitting out Tuesday's 11-0 loss. The third baseman was struggling at the plate, going 2- for-13 over his last four games entering Wednesday.

Jose Reyes added a three-run homer for the Mets, who won for just the second time in their last five games.

John Maine (8-5) allowed two runs on five hits over six innings to pick up the win.

Getting the call for the Mets in the first game today will be 24-year-old righty Mike Pelfrey, who has won his last two starts. Pelfrey was great on Sunday against Colorado, holding the Rockies to just three hits over 5 2/3 scoreless innings, as he improved to 4-6, while lowering his earned run average to 4.30.

While Pelfrey has never faced the Yankees, the Mets will send a pitcher to the hill in the nightcap that is very familiar with them in Pedro Martinez. The right-hander has faced them 31 times and is 11-10 against them with a 3.03 ERA.

Martinez suffered his first loss of the season on Saturday in Colorado, as he allowed six runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings, dropping him to 2-1 to go along with a 6.57 ERA.

The Yankees, meanwhile, will hand the ball to righty Dan Giese in the first game. Geise was tagged with the loss on Saturday against Cincinnati in his first ever start, but pitched well above expectations. The 31-year-old hurler gave up three unearned runs and four hits in 6 2/3 innings of the 6-0 loss.

Heading to the hill at Shea for the Yankees will be troubled right-hander Sidney Ponson, who will be starting his second tour of duty with the team. Ponson, who was recently released by the Texas Rangers for conduct detrimental to the team, was 0-1 with a 10.47 ER in five games (three starts) for the Yanks in 2006.

Ponson had pitched pretty well for the Rangers before things went sour for him, going 4-1 with a 3.88 ERA.

In three starts against the Mets Ponson is 1-1 with a 2.86 ERA.

The Yankees split a rain-shortened two-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The third game of the set was postponed due to rain and will be made up on July 10.

Play was interrupted with two outs in the top of the third inning because of heavy rains and was officially called off after two-plus hours of waiting for the storm front to pass through.

The Yankees, who have won nine of their last 12, led 3-1 by opening the game with four straight extra-base hits off Pirates starter Paul Maholm. The Pirates got a run off New York's Mike Mussina in the bottom half of the inning.