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Mets, Yanks kick off Subway Series in the Bronx

May 20, 2011 - 2:51 PM (Sports Network) - The Yankees and Mets know they have months before playoff fever is likely to take over the city of New York. But just like Christmas Eve, it doesn't hurt to take an early peak.

The 2011 edition of the always-exciting Subway Series gets underway tonight as the Mets visit the Yankees in the Bronx.

The Yankees lead the all-time series with the Mets, 45-33, including 24-15 at the Bronx. The Mets have lost four of six at new Yankee Stadium and split the six overall meetings a season ago.

While this regular-season series won't match the enthusiasm that took over the city when the clubs met in the 2000 World Series, Yankees manager Joe Girardi knows the meeting is still important to New Yorkers.

"Being a [former] player, I understand how important it is to the city," Girardi said on New York's website. "It's amazing to me. It's kind of like a playoff atmosphere to me, because of the senses of all the fans.

"When you're walking someplace, whether they're a Mets fan or a Yankees fan, there are a lot more responses. I think it's enjoyable, and I think it's great for the game."

Despite this series taking place in May, there is still a little something at stake for both teams. The Yankees are hoping to win a season-best fourth straight game and move back into first place in the American League East, while the Mets are hoping to get back to .500 for the first time since they were 4-4 on April 9.

The Yanks come into this series one game back of the Rays for first place in the division and have countered a season-worst six-game slide with three consecutive wins, including Thursday's 13-2 pounding of the Orioles.

Nick Swisher had two hits and drove in four runs, while Mark Teixeira connected on a two-run homer as part of a four-RBI night. The Yankees pounded out 14 hits, eight of which went for extra bases that included RBI triples by Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson and Brett Gardner.

"For us to come out and play the way we did today, it kind of feels like everything's just opening up for us," Swisher said.

Jeter's two hits in the game pushed his career total to 2,970.

CC Sabathia got more than enough support as he threw eight scoreless innings, scattering seven hits and striking out nine.

Right-hander Freddy Garcia draws the starting assignment for the Yankees and he hopes to continue his stellar track record in interleague play. In 36 starts against the opposing league, the 34-year-old is 21-8 with a 2.92 earned run average.

Garcia, who is 1-1 with a 2.63 ERA lifetime versus the Mets, has lost three of his last four starts overall. The righty faced Boston on Sunday and was charged with five runs -- four earned -- on six hits over 5 1/3 innings. That dropped him to 2-3 on the season with a 3.22 ERA.

Garcia may need to be sharp tonight given how stingy Mets pitchers have been lately. The club entered its two-game set with the Nationals without a shutout this season, but picked up two to sweep the series. Jon Niese, Jason Isringhausen and Francisco Rodriguez combined to keep Washington off the board in Wednesday's 3-0 victory before Dillon Gee's 7 2/3 scoreless innings led to yesterday's 1-0 win.

Gee lost a no-hit bid with two outs in the sixth inning and saw Tim Byrdak and Rodriguez finish off the blanking.

"It takes a lot of luck to get one of those [no-hitter]," Gee said.

Justin Turner drove in the lone run and Jason Bay had three hits for the Mets, who have won six of eight and are now fourth in the National League East, five games out of first place.

New York is hoping Bay stays hot as both David Wright (lower back) and Ike Davis (left ankle) remain on the disabled list.

Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey is hoping to tap into last year's success during interleague play to get back on track.

The 36-year-old won all three of his starts versus the AL a season ago, posting a 1.29 earned run average. He did not face the Yankees in 2010 and is 2-1 in seven career games versus them, including one start, with a 2.66 ERA.

Dickey has lost back-to-back starts and five straight decisions since his lone win of the season on April 3. He has been charged with 10 runs (nine earned) and 21 hits over the consecutive losses, yielding six runs and 11 hits -- including two homers -- over 5 1/3 innings of a loss in Houston on Saturday.

Mets manager Terry Collins is hoping Dickey can right his own ship.

"My experience with knuckleball pitchers is they study it," Collins told New York's website. "That's their art. That's their trade. Nobody in that room knows more about the knuckleball and how to correct it than R.A. Dickey does. It's not an easy thing to fix."

The right-hander lost just nine games last season, but is 1-5 with a 5.08 ERA this year.