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Yankees-Mets Preview

Jun 28, 2009 - 4:28 AM By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN STATS Senior Writer

New York (41-32) at New York (37-35), 8:05 p.m. EDT

The New York Yankees have dominated the New York Mets this weekend, even without captain Derek Jeter.

The Yankees hope to have Jeter back in the lineup Sunday night when they try to complete a three-game Subway Series sweep of the Mets at Citi Field.

Jeter has sat out the first two games of this series with the flu, and Johnny Damon missed Saturday's 5-0 victory that stretched the winning streak for the Yankees (42-32) to four games. Manager Joe Girardi indicated that a flu bug had gone around his team.

"That's on him, man. I told him I could play. That's all his decision," Jeter said about missing Saturday's game.

Jeter turned 35 on Friday, and is hitting .386 in interleague play this year.

The Yankees haven't needed the star shortstop against their depleted crosstown rivals. The Mets (37-36) have been outscored 14-1 and outhit 22-4 in the first two games of the weekend series, and are 1-4 against the Yankees in 2009.

It's the first time the Yankees have won the season series from the Mets since sweeping six games in 2003 - the year before Alex Rodriguez joined the club.

The Mets are without injured center fielder Carlos Beltran, shortstop Jose Reyes and first baseman Carlos Delgado. They are in danger of falling to .500 for the first time since May 6 after managing only one hit Saturday against A.J. Burnett and two relievers.

With a lineup featuring the likes of Argenis Reyes and Jeremy Reed, the Mets are 9 for 87 (.103) in the past three games. They have seven singles, a two-run double by Nick Evans and a solo homer by Gary Sheffield during that span.

"The fact that we are depleted - and I think guys are trying - we just lack a few things right now," Mets manager Jerry Manuel said. "What we have to do is, we'll just have to catch a break. We have to catch somebody on a bad day at this point. But that's where we are."

The Yankees will go for the sweep behind Chien-Ming Wang, who they feel is pitching better as he tries again for his first win of the season.

Wang (0-6, 11.20 ERA) returned to the rotation June 4 after a short stint in the bullpen, and is 0-3 with a 7.27 ERA in his last four starts. He has given up three runs in a season-high five innings in each of his last two outings, however, including a 4-0 loss at Atlanta on Tuesday.

"He (Wang) had to show us better stuff, better command and the ability to pitch deeper into games, and he showed us that," Girardi told the Yankees' official Web site. "So he's not necessarily start-by-start anymore."

The right-hander is 1-1 with a 4.96 ERA in two career starts versus the Mets.

Mets starter Livan Hernandez (5-2, 4.05) has never beaten the Yankees, going 0-3 with a 6.94 ERA in six outings. He did not receive a decision June 12 in the Bronx when he gave up six runs over 5 1-3 innings in a 9-8 loss.

That outing started a three-game losing streak for the Mets with the veteran right-hander on the mound. He is 0-2 with a 4.66 ERA in that span after yielding three runs over seven innings Tuesday in a 3-0 loss to St. Louis.

Rodriguez has enjoyed plenty of success against Hernandez, going 11 for 19 with three homers and 10 RBIs. Jeter is 8 for 19 while Mark Teixeira is 3 for 6 with two homers and three RBIs.