Subway Series letdowns

The 2009 Subway series edition will get underway tonight at the New Yankees Stadium as both NY teams are coming off painfull letdowns to their main division rivals. For the New York Mets their series vs the Fighting Phillies ended on a sour note after a exciting 1st game of the series on Tuesday where a gutsy Johan Santana and the Mets had to fend off the Fighting Phillies to win the game, hoping to set the tone for the rest of the series. But instead it was consecutive extra innings loses that was capped by last night winning blow by Raul Ibanez who took Ken Takahashi deep for a 3 run bomb that sealed the deal for the Phillies in the 10th. It was very frustrating to see as a Met fan because if the Mets could have just done a little better they could easily won all 3 games. Instead they now find themselves 4 games back as it was the same old story for the Mets who could not solve the Phillies who right now are clearly just the better team. One look at that potent Phillie's lineup and up and down you will find no relief if your the opposing pitcher. With Raul Ibanez who right now is looking like the NL MVP, along with Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and even a struggling Jimmy Rollins, the cast that is the Fighting Phils, all came up big and contributed in some way in this series. Throw in guys like Jason Werth and Shane Victorino and you can see why the Phillies are the defending champions. Yes, we are talking about the Phillie's offense and not much about their pitching because their offense is what makes them Fighting Phillies, but with a #1 like Cole Hamels who in a series can become your MVP, and a decent bullpen that can bring in three lefties, along with a closer in Brandon Lidge who at the moment is hurt, but when healthy he is lights out! What this series between the Mets and Phillies proved was that the defending champs are simply the better team, and with all the injuries the Mets have going on, this may simply not be the year the Mets were hoping for.

Across town the New York Yankees return back home from Boston for tonight's Subway Series trying to get back on track after getting swept again to go 0-8 vs their #1 division competitor. After last night let down game where the Yankees pen was not able to save CC Sabathia who did his thing and held Boston to 1 run in 7 innings until that fatal 8th where everything came crashing down. Sabathia still out on the mound trying to extend his outing, but the next 3 hitters Nick Green, Dustin Pedroia and JD Drew all got on as Joe Girardi went to Alfredo Aceves & Phil Coke but were not able to hold it down as Boston would go on to score 3 runs to take a 4-3 lead as Jonathan Papelbon would go 1, 2, 3 in the 9th for the save and the sweep. It would be the 3rd time that the SOX had swept the Yankees this season. It could not had gotten any worst for Yankees and their fans who before this series were feeling pretty good about their team that had just played some inspiring ball in the last month or so to get back into the race and captured 1st place after a not so great beginning to their season early on. Say all you want about the Phillies and the RedSox but they are the better teams when it comes to division rivals right now for the Mets and Yankees. Certainly for the Phillies who right now have a 4 game lead on the Mets who with their injuries, which just added it's new member in John Maine who was just added today to the list of the wounded, right now the Phillies just look so much better then the Mets. As for the Yankees who right now are lucky that they are only 2 games back and pretty much healthy, all they need to do is find a way to beat Boston, cause right now it is all Boston all the time.

This will be a huge subway series, especially for the ailing Mets who come into the New Yankees Stadium for the 1st time even more under man with the news that now John Maine will be heading to the 15 day disable list. After this weekend 1 of the 2 New York Teams could find themselves in some big trouble if this series ends in a sweep. The Mets will come into this series as the underdog, as the Mighty Yankees who have beaten everyone of late who is not the REDSOX, will have the pressure to take care of business at home and beat down on the Mets who is missing half of their squad.