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Interleague play gets underway today in Major League Baseball.

The New York Mets and New York Yankees get together for the first of two series this season. The Subway Series may have lost some of its luster the past couple seasons, but both teams have a lot riding on this series. 

Starting tonight, the teams will play a three game series at Citi Field.

The Mets, 20-22 overall, have been struggling and have won just three of their past ten games but are 14-8 at home this season.

The Yankees meanwhile are in second place in the American League East with a record of 25-16. They have been in a bit of a slide however, losing six of their last ten and three straight.

The Yankees are just 12-10 away from Yankee Stadium this season.

For the Mets, they may be playing for their managers job. There has been speculation that a bad weekend could force the Mets organization to drop the ax on Jerry Manuel.

The Yankees are trying to get back on the winning track and keep pace with the Tampa Bay Rays. Injuries have gotten the best of both these teams, but nobody is using that as an excuse.

This three game Subway Series is big for both teams.

Continue this Subway Series Preview at Double G Sports.

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When one looks at the line of Phil Hughes’ start Monday night against the Boston Red Sox, they see five innings pitched, six hits, five earned runs, one walk, and three strikeouts. The big stat, however, was the two home runs, a solo job to David Ortiz and a three-run jack to the newly-rejuvenated J.D. Drew.

Ortiz was almost on the unemployment line in early May until he started to get hot. He has a .400 BA/.421 OBP/.771 SLG/1.192 OPS over the last two weeks.  

J.D. Drew? What is this, a contract year for the Scott Boras client? Drew is really on fire, hitting in 13 of his 15 games played in May . After a terrible start, Drew is hitting .356 BA/.427 OBP/.621 SLG/1.048 OPS over the last month.  

Although Drew is signed through 2011, it IS somewhat a contract year as Drew needs to play in 129 games in 2010 to get his full $14 million salary next season and not having to get $9 million of it deferred.

So many times, it is not who you play against, it matters when you play them. And these two lefty hitters are hot right now. Hughes ran into a left-handed hitting buzzsaw.

Both home runs were on cutters on the inner third of the plate, and were hit with authority by both left-handed hitters Ortiz and Drew. Actually, both pitches were really in good spots, although Francisco Cervelli wanted the pitch to Drew a little higher. Both pitches were in on the hands, but were still hit hard.

This tells me the lefties in the Boston lineup were looking for that pitch. Advanced Boston scouts probably noticed Hughes cutter is being thrown a lot, actually 28 percent of the time. Hughes’ fastball is his best pitch right now, and that Hughes will go to the cutter at least once an at bat.

Versus lefties, that pitch is coming inside. Last night’s cutter was thrown to all hitters, but the lefties were keying on it.

Hughes faced nine left-handed hitters including Drew (three times), Victor Martinez (twice), Ortiz (twice) and Jeremy Hermida (twice). He threw cutters or fastballs on the inner half to these four guys 14 times and they swung at every single offering. However, when outside fastballs were thrown, they were seldom swung at, mostly when they had two strikes on them and were fighting off the outside hard stuff.

The left-handed Red Sox hitters were looking for the inside cutter, and when they got it, they aggressively attacked it.

Hughes’ cutter is good, but it doesn’t have the same movement and depth of Mariano Rivera’s cutter so it was hittable when lefties were looking for it. In fact, Dustin Pedroia’s great at-bat against Hughes a batter before the Drew home run ended when Hughes threw a cutter away and Pedroia pulled into the left field corner for a double.

He came up and was looking for the inside pitch. In that at-bat Drew fouled an inside cutter, took a fastball strike outside, took a ball high, fouled off an outside fastball, then deposited the next pitch, that inside cutter into the right field stands.

Before that inning, Hughes was great. He blew through the first two hitters until Drew fought him on a 10-pitch at-bat, before flying to center. Drew performed the same routine, swinging at every hard pitch inside but fouling off stuff away until he finally got an inside pitch he put in play.

The Adrian Beltre RBI single in the second was a high outside pitch which Beltre just went the other way with. One of the biggest pitching no-no’s is throwing hard stuff up and away to a hitter who does not have the bat speed anymore to handle good, hard stuff.

Beltre does not have the bat speed anymore. That is his second opposite field RBI single against the Yankees, the first one on opening day versus David Robertson which tied that game at five. The chart says it was a single to center but it was hit past Robinson Cano into right center field.

That pitch was also a fastball out and up.

Hughes has a great fastball and a knee-buckling curve ball. He is throwing the fastball at 58 percent of the time in 2010, with the curve ball only 12 percent. He should use those pitches more often and back off the cutter a bit. Also, lets mix in the change-up a little more. That pitch seems to get some extra swings and misses.

Red Sox left-handed hitters are jumping on his hard stuff inside and paying the pitch count game on stuff away. It is only a matter of time before other teams begin to do the same.

So Hughes needs to get ahead while away, show some stuff in for show and get them out on low hard stuff away.

The league has adjusted to him.

Now it is time for Phil Hughes to adjust back to the league.

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New York Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes has dominated thus far into the 2010 season. Starting with a 5-0 record (best on the squad) and a 2.25 ERA on the year—Hughes has been lighting it up in the fifth spot for the red-hot Yanks.

Despite struggling against the Boston Red Sox, Hughes still managed not to lose the game and finished with a no decision. He pitched four innings and allowed five earned runs with three strike outs. The Yankees came away with the victory, though, with outfielder Marcus Thames hitting a walk-off jack against Jonathan Papelbon in the botton of the ninth.

Many didn’t expect Phil Hughes to start the season with this much succes—but you can guarantee that the Bronx Bombers are loving every minute of it.

After moving fourth starter Javier Vazquez to the bullpen (with his 8.01 ERA), the Yankees will be relying more on their young-gun to pick up the slack.

If Hughes keeps up the pace, he’ll be moving up in the rotation soon enough.

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It was a rough night to be a pitcher in the Bronx last night. Nine pitchers in total were used in the contest between the Yankees and Red Sox. Of the nine, five gave up runs in the 11-9 Yankees win.

The starters were not good. Boston starter Daisuke Matsuzaka   had a bad first inning in which the Yankees scored five runs. The righty lasted 4.2 innings, giving up nine hits. Three of those nine were doubles. The Yankees scored seven runs off Matsuzaka before he was taken out with two outs in the fifth.

Yankees starter Phil Hughes   has been one of the leagues best pitchers so far this season. Last night, however, was not a good performance. He was able to battle and make his way through five innings, but Hughes gave up five runs on six hits and a walk. He gave up two home runs, one to David Ortiz   in the fourth and the other to J.D. Drew in the fifth.

The Yankees brought Boone Logan to the mound in the sixth with a 7-5 lead. The lefty gave up two hits and a run. The run came on a home run by Victor Martinez that cut the lead to 7-6.

With a 7-6 lead and Joba Chamberlain and David Robertson unavailable to pitch, the Yankees called upon Chan Ho Park to pitch the seventh inning. Park was activated off the disabled list prior to the game. He had been on the DL since April 16th with a hamstring injury. His performance showed the Yankees he should have stayed on the DL, or anywhere else other then on the roster.

Continue this story at Double G Sports .

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The Yankees took two of three against the Twins over the weekend, but lost the finale in stinging fashion when Mariano Rivera gave up a grand slam in the eighth inning. New York will have to bounce back from that blow quickly, though, as it welcomes the arch rival Red Sox to Yankee Stadium for a quick two-game set.

The Bombers (24-13) have taken four of six from Boston (19-19) already this season with all of those games being played at Fenway Park.

The Sox — which currently sit in four place, 7 1/2 games back of the leading Rays and 5 1/2 back of the second-place Yanks — continue to struggle from the mound. Boston’s 4.83 ERA is second worst in the American League and the two pitching matchups in this series appear to both be in New York’s favor.

Monday, May 17 – Phil Hughes (5-0, 1.38) vs. Daisuke Matsuzaka (2-1, 6.35)

If the AL Cy Young Award was handed out today, Hughes would win it. The young right-hander leads the league in wins, winning percentage, ERA and WHIP (0.92), and he proved he can pitch against the Red Sox on May 7, when he allowed just two runs on seven hits with one walk and seven strikeouts in a seven-inning victory. Hughes is now 1-2 with a 5.85 ERA in nine games (three starts) versus Boston.

He hasn’t given up a hit to Dustin Pedroia (0-for-11), Adrian Beltre (0-for-7, 4 K’s), Jason Varitek (0-for-4), Jeremey Hermida (0-for-3) or Bill Hall (0-for-1).

But J.D. Drew (4-for-6, 4 walks), Mike Lowell (2-for-5), Victor Martinez (3-for-5) and David Ortiz (3-for-4, 2 doubles, 3 RBIs, 2 walks) have had success facing Hughes.

Matsuzaka has improved in each of his three starts, culminating with his best performance his last time out, when he yielded just one run on three hits and no walks with nine strikeouts in a 6-1 win over Toronto on Tuesday.

The right-hander is 3-3 with a 5.49 ERA in seven starts versus New York and while he struggled at the old Yankee Stadium (1-1, 6.57), he pitched better at the new ballpark last year (0-1, 1.29).

Dice-K has dominated Robinson Cano (4-for-19, .211, 7 K’s) and Alex Rodriguez (1-for-16, .063, 7 K’s), but a few Yanks have had success facing him.

Derek Jeter is 6-for-14 (.429) with two homers, Jorge Posada is 6-for-12 (.500) with three doubles and Nick Swisher is 3-for-10 (.300), but questions still linger about his ability to bat from the left side due to a biceps injury.

Tuesday, May 18 – CC Sabathia (4-2, 3.71) vs. Josh Beckett (1-1, 7.46)

Two of Sabathia’s three worst starts this season have come against the Red Sox, during which he’s surrendered eight earned runs in 10 innings for a 7.20 ERA. But the big lefty’s poorest outing came in his last time out, when he yielded six runs in six frames at Detroit.

He’ll try to bounce back against a team which he’s compiled a 5-5 record and a 3.74 ERA in 13 career starts. Both of CC’s bad games versus the Sox this year have come on the road. Now, he gets a shot at them at home, where he’s 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in 2010.

Last year’s ALCS MVP has held the following Boston hitters in check: Ortiz (7-for-29, .241, 5 K’s), Pedroia (1-for-19, .053, 6 K’s), Varitek (2-for-16, .125), Beltre (1-for-16, .063, 6 K’s), Drew (3-for-14, .214, 7 K’s) and Hall (1-for-8, .125, 4 K’s).

But Marco Scutaro (7-for-21, .333, 5 walks) and Kevin Youkilis (8-for-21, .381, 3 XBH) have had success.

Beckett, who has been dealing with some back issues which forced him to miss his last turn in the rotation, has been absolutely lit up by the Bombers in two starts this season (0-1, 12.60 ERA).

The good news for the right-hander is that he’s 17-11 with a 3.09 ERA when starting on at least six days’ rest (he’ll be working on 10 days’ rest), but the bad news is that he has a 5.96 ERA despite a 9-6 record in 19 starts against the Bombers.

Beckett struggled at the old Yankee Stadium (5.66 ERA in six starts), but he flourished at the new ballpark last season (1-0, 2.08 in two starts).

The 30-year-old Texan has been knocked around by Cano (17-for-49, .347, 10 RBIs), Posada (11-for-33, .333) and Marcus Thames (3-for-8, .375, HR), but he’s had success facing Teixeira (4-for-26, .154, 9 K’s) and Brett Gardner (3-for-14, .214, 4 K’s).

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison .

Jordan Schwartz is one of Bleacher Report’s New York Yankees and College Basketball Featured Columnists. His book Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com

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In the midst of their worst offensive slump of the season and having loss four of five, the Yankees return home to open up a seven-game, three-team homestand against the American League Central-leading Minnesota Twins.

The Yanks and Twins enter their three-game set with identical 22-12 records, good for second best in the Majors behind the Rays and tied with the Padres.

Like New York, Minnesota has done it with a mix of good hitting and solid pitching. The Twins lead the AL with a .277 batting average and are second with a 3.51 ERA.

But the Bombers have dominated the Twins of late, winning all 10 meetings last year, including a three-game sweep in the AL Division Series, and Minnesota has dropped eight straight in the Bronx.

Let’s take a look at the pitching matchups.

Friday, May 14—A.J. Burnett (4-1, 3.40) vs. Scott Baker (4-2, 4.57)

Burnett allowed almost as many earned runs in his last start against the Red Sox (eight) as he did in his first six games combined (nine).

After his worst appearance of the season, the right-hander will look to bounce versus the Twins, a team against which he is 2-1 with a 3.72 ERA in six career starts.

Jim Thome (7-for-30, .233, 11 K’s), Michael Cuddyer (2-for-13, .154, 6 K’s), Brendan Harris (2-for-12, .167) and Nick Punto (1-for-11, .091) all struggle when facing Burnett.

Not surprisingly, Joe Mauer (5-for-13, .385) does not.

Baker is coming off back-to-back wins over the Tigers and Orioles, and while he is 2-1 with a 4.20 ERA in three lifetime starts against the Yankees (1-0, 1.80 in the Bronx), the current Bombers lineup hits .319 and slugs .623 off him.

Marcus Thames is batting just .231 against righties this year, but he has to be in the lineup on Friday because he’s 8-for-26 (.308) with four homers and six RBIs versus Baker.

Mark Teixeira is also 4-for-7 (.571) with a homer, but Alex Rodriguez is 0-for-7 with four strikeouts.

Saturday, May 15—Andy Pettitte (4-0, 2.08) vs. Francisco Liriano (4-1, 2.36)

Pettitte returns from his overly-cautious, one-start removal from the rotation and hopefully the long layoff won’t affect the great start he’s had.

The veteran southpaw is 9-5 with a 3.70 ERA in 19 career starts against Minnesota, but the current Twins roster hits .358 off him.

Brendan Harris is 8-for-17 (.471), Cuddyer is 5-for-14 (.357) with a homer, Delmon Young is a ridiculous 9-for-14 (.643), and Mauer and Justin Morneau are each 4-for-10 (.400). Thome, however, is 6-for-28 (.214) with 10 K’s.

Liriano suffered his first loss of the season on Saturday, surrendering five runs on 10 hits over six innings versus Baltimore.

The left-hander is 0-1 with a 2.77 ERA in three games (two starts) against New York, and he gave up one run in six frames in his only appearance at Yankee Stadium.

Facing Liriano, Teixeira is 1-for-9 (.111) with an incredible seven strikeouts, but that one hit was a home run.

Thames is an easy start in this one as he is 4-for-9 with three homers against the southpaw.

Sunday, May 16—Sergio Mitre (0-1, 3.86) vs. Nick Blackburn (3-1, 4.76)

As of Friday afternoon, the Yankees haven’t announced a starter for Sunday, but it will probably be Mitre thanks to a rainout-induced doubleheader on Wednesday that would force either Javier Vazquez or Phil Hughes to work on short rest if they were to start on Sunday.

I’d prefer Hughes on three-days’ rest over Mitre on steroids, but Joe Girardi probably isn’t going to want to push the young right-hander too hard in his first full season as a starter.

As expected, Mitre lasted just 4 1/3 innings and gave up four runs in a loss at Detroit on Monday.

He has never faced the Twins, but four men on their roster have batted against him. Orlando Hudson is 3-for-9 (.333) with a home run and Thome is 3-for-4 (.750) with a double, but Harris and Young are a combined 0-for-6.

After a rocky first four starts, Blackburn earned a complete-game win over the Tigers and followed that up with seven scoreless innings against the Orioles in another victory on Sunday.

The right-hander is 0-1 with a 5.89 ERA in four starts versus the Bombers, and he allowed four earned runs in 7 2/3 innings in his only start at the new Yankee Stadium last year.

A-Rod is 3-for-9 (.333) and a homer off Blackburn, Derek Jeter is 3-for-7 (.429) with a blast and Teixeira is a remarkable 6-for-6 with five RBIs and a walk. Robinson Cano, however, is 0-for-8.

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison .

Jordan Schwartz is one of Bleacher Report’s New York Yankees and College Basketball Featured Columnists. His book Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

I don’t like admitting that I’m wrong.

I put admission of error somewhere between getting a Novocaine-free root canal and being the Jim J. Bullock center square of a human centipede.

But right is right, and it’s starting to look like that’s exactly what the Yankees were when it came to their handling of Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain.

Wednesday night against the Tigers was another big night for the farm system’s golden boys. Hughes was brilliant over seven shutout innings, and Chamberlain was throwing gas in the eighth for another scoreless inning of relief.

Hughes is now 5-0 with a 1.38 ERA, and is suddenly a legitimate ace counterpart to CC Sabathia. Chamberlain, meanwhile, has a 2.30 ERA and hasn’t allowed a run in his last seven appearances, effectively filling the eighth-inning role that Hughes thrived in last season.

Much has been made of how the Yankees handled both young pitchers.

Some argued that the team asked for too much, too soon from Hughes, who was the second youngest player in the American League when he was called up in April 2007.

Hughes battled injury and vision issues his first two seasons in the Bronx, leading many fans to believe the right-hander was heading down Brien Taylor Boulevard, the one-way thoroughfare for all-hype, no-results prospects.

Fans were even more frustrated when GM Brian Cashman refused to part with Hughes in a trade that would bring Johan Santana from the Twins in December 2007. The idea of a Yankees organization that didn’t sacrifice prospects for established veterans was completely foreign to a fanbase weened on 30 years of Steinbrenner rule.

Chamberlain has been an even bigger lightning rod of controversy. He came out of nowhere in August 2007, becoming a phenomenon with his blazing fastball, sharp slider and animated strikeout celebrations.

Despite his fantastic (non-midge related) success out of the bullpen, the Yankees were intent on giving Chamberlain an opportunity as a starter. They looked at the beefy kid from Nebraska and had visions of a young Roger Clemens under their control for seven years.

Unfortunately, it just didn’t take. The “Joba Rules”—first instituted in ’07 to keep Joe Torre from Proctor-ing the young prospect’s arm—was deemed the culprit when Chamberlain wasn’t immediately the same intimidator as a starter as he was out of the bullpen.

But by 2009, it started to become clear that it wasn’t the Joba Rules that were holding Chamberlain back, but his own mind-set. He struggled to find consistency as a starter, unable to find his top velocity, and unable to control the pace of the game. By the time the postseason rolled around, Chamberlain was back in the ‘pen.

The Yankees gave Chamberlain one last shot as a starter in spring training, essentially pitting him against Hughes for the fifth spot in the rotation. It was a no-contest. Chamberlain seemed disinterested in the battle, and Hughes won nearly by default.

That brings us to today. Hughes and Chamberlain are both Yankees, they’re both healthy, and they’re both succeeding in the roles they were meant to be in. Hughes, the starter and ace-in-training, Chamberlain the reliever and closer-in-training.

There’s a parallel universe where Hughes the Minnesota Twin is shutting down the Yankees in Game 5 of the 2010 ALDS and Chamberlain is sitting in the waiting room of Dr. James Andrews with an icepack on his shoulder.

Thankfully, the two young right-handers took the fork down a different path. And while you can argue that the organization took a circuitous route to get to the right place, you can’t deny they got there in the end.

Dan Hanzus writes the Yankees blog River & Sunset and can be reached via e-mail at dhanzus@gmail.com. Follow Dan on Twitter at danhanzus .

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Back in Spring Training , the Yankees put Phil Hughes into a competition with other pitchers like Joba Chamberlain , Sergio Mitre, and Alfredo Aceves. The four pitchers competed to see who would be the Yankees fifth starter. Obviously Hughes won the job and since then, he is making it seem like there never should have been a competition.

It’s tough to say Hughes has been the Yankees best starter, because most of them have been pitching extremely well this season. You can however say Hughes is right up there with CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Andy Pettitte   .

The young starter has show a new degree of confidence this season. He is dominating opponents on a regular basis.

Hughes has started six games so far this season and after last nights win, he is now 5-0 on the year with a very impressive 1.38 ERA. That is the lowest ERA of any Yankees starter this season.

Continue this article at Double G Sports .

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After being held scoreless earlier in the day, New York responded with their own shutout in an 8-0 triumph over Detroit Wednesday evening at Comerica Park. The teams split the day-night doubleheader with the Tigers winning the afternoon affair, 2-0.

With the win, New York ended a season-high three-game losing streak. Detroit’s two runs in the bottom of the sixth in the first game were the only two Tiger runs scored in the doubleheader.

Phil Hughes (5-0) put together another impressive outing and lowered his ERA to 1.38. He limited Detroit to five hits over seven innings while striking out eight and walking one. Mariano Rivera, on the mound for the first time since April 30, pitched a perfect ninth to complete the Yankees third shutout of the season.

After failing to produce any runs earlier in the day, New York immediately scored in the top of the first inning. Brett Gardner, who finished with three hits, singled and stole second. He eventually scored on a two-out RBI single by Alex Rodriguez. Mark Teixeira added another two-out run-scoring single in the third to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead. It was Teixeira’s first hit in 14 career at bats against Tigers starter Jeremy Bonderman (1-2).

Hughes made the lead stand by thwarting a pair of Detroit scoring opportunities. Miguel Cabrera led off the bottom of the second with a double, but Hughes struck out the next three hitters to end the inning. In the bottom of the fourth, the Tigers loaded the bases with one out. However, Hughes struck out Alex Avila and induced Don Kelly to pop out to end the threat.

Bonderman pitched effectively over seven innings, but dropped to 4-8 in his career against the Yankees. He allowed two runs on five hits with one walk and a season-high seven strikeouts.

New York broke the game open with a six-run ninth inning. With one out, Francisco Cervelli delivered an RBI single off Phil Coke to extend the lead to 3-0. Alfredo Figaro relieved Coke and got the second out on a force out at home. However, Gardner followed with an RBI infield single and Teixeira added a two-run single. After Rodriguez’s RBI double, Teixeira scampered home on a wild pitch for the sixth run of the inning.

New York and Detroit will complete their four-game series Thursday afternoon. CC Sabathia (4-1, 3.04) will take the mound for the Yankees, and the Tigers will counter with Justin Verlander (3-2, 4.50). First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m.

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The Yankees had their six-game winning streak snapped in Boston on Sunday, but the Bombers still stand just a half-game back of Tampa Bay and the best record in baseball as they visit the Tigers and two familiar faces.

Johnny Damon landed in Detroit this past offseason after the Yanks opted not to re-sign him, and he’s off to a great start, batting .294 with a .409 on-base percentage and 14 RBIs.

Brian Cashman isn’t completely regretting his decision, however, because Brett Gardner (.344 average) has been a more-than-satisfactory replacement in left field.

Austin Jackson, on the other hand, is a different story. The rookie was traded on Dec. 9 in a three-team deal that brought Curtis Granderson to the Bronx, and while Granderson is currently on the disabled list following a slow start, Jackson is leading the league with a .371 batting average.

The Tigers as a team are second in the AL with a .278 average, but their pitching (4.36 ERA, ninth in league) has been mediocre.

However, this may be the first series the Yankees aren’t favored to win due to the fact they have Sergio Mitre starting Game 1 in place of Andy Pettitte and the struggling Javier Vazquez going in Game 2.

Let’s take a look at the pitching matchups for the four-game set.

Monday, May 10 – Sergio Mitre (0-0, 2.79) vs. Brad Thomas (1-0, 5.40)

Pettitte wasn’t too pleased when he heard he was going to miss a turn in the rotation thanks to some minor elbow issues, and most Yankees fans can’t be thrilled either that Mitre will be taking his place.

The right-hander has pitched pretty well in five relief appearances this season, but he’s 13-23 with a 5.47 ERA in 61 career starts, and will probably only be allowed to throw 65 to 75 pitches, which should put a heavy load on a bullpen that is just beginning a stretch of 17 consecutive games without a day off.

Mitre has never pitched against the Tigers and therefore, only two players on their current roster have ever faced him. Adam Everett is 2-for-5 with a double and two strikeouts, while Miguel Cabrera is 1-for-5 with an RBI and two K’s.

Willis was scratched from his scheduled start Monday with an unspecified illness, according to MLB.com. Lefty reliever Thomas will start in his place, so this game should wind up becoming a battle of the bullpens.

Tuesday, May 11 – Javier Vazquez (1-3, 9.78) vs. Rick Porcello (2-3, 7.50)

It was wise to push back Vazquez’s start so that he wouldn’t have to face the Red Sox, but it would be wiser to yank him from the starting rotation altogether and replace him with Joba Chamberlain.

The right-hander, who was promised to eat up innings for the Yankees this season, hasn’t pitched more than 5 2/3 frames in any of his five starts, failing to escape the fourth in his past two, so we could see New York relievers taxed quite a bit over the first two games of this series.

Vazquez is 6-7 with a 4.50 ERA in 13 career starts against the Tigers, including a stellar 2-5 record and 6.09 ERA at Comerica Park.

For some reason, Magglio Ordonez (7-for-36, .194) and Brandon Inge (7-for-31, .226, 13 K’s) have struggled when facing the 33-year-old, but Cabrera (9-for-23, .391, 3 HRs), Damon (7-for-21, .333, 2 HRs), and Everett (5-for-13, .385, 2 doubles) have not.

Another bullpen battle could be on tap because Porcello hasn’t lasted more than six innings all season. He faced the Yankees once during his rookie campaign last year, getting knocked around for six runs in 3 2/3 innings. Nick Swisher had a three-run homer.

Wednesday, May 12 – Phil Hughes (4-0, 1.69) vs. Jeremy Bonderman (1-1, 5.74)

Hughes may have taken a no-hitter into the eighth inning against the A’s and held the White Sox scoreless over seven, but his best start of the year came on Friday, when he gave up just two runs and struck out seven in seven frames against the Red Sox.

The questions about his durability will come when he eclipses his career-high 86 innings in one season, but as of now, the right-hander looks like the real deal.

Hughes is 2-2 with a 5.30 ERA in five games (three starts) versus the Tigers, and he’s 1-1 with a 3.75 in Detroit.

Against him, Ordonez is 1-for-8 (.125) and Laird, Inge, Everett and Ramon Santiago are a combined 0-for-12 with seven strikeouts, but Cabrera is 3-for-6.

Bonderman was pleased to see his stats washed away in a postponed game against the Indians on Friday. The right-hander had allowed six runs in 2 1/3 innings when the rains came.

Bonderman is 3-7 with a 5.55 ERA in 12 appearances (11 starts) versus the Yankees, but most of the players he had trouble with are gone as the current Bombers’ roster hits just .214 off him.

Derek Jeter is 8-for-33 (.242), Jorge Posada and Robinson Cano are both 5-for-22 (.227) and Mark Teixeira is an astounding 0-for-12 with three strikeouts.

Alex Rodriguez (8-for-26, .308, 2 HRs) is the only one with success against Bonderman.

Thursday, May 13 – CC Sabathia (4-1, 3.04) vs. Justin Verlander (3-2, 4.50)

Sabathia has a 7.20 ERA against the Red Sox, but a 1.93 mark versus everyone else this season. That’s not a good sign for the Tigers.

The big lefty was one strike away from earning the victory in Boston on Saturday before rain delayed the game for more than an hour and he was relieved.

The 2007 AL Cy Young Award winner with the Indians is 14-10 with a 4.50 ERA against his old Central rival, including a 7-3 record and 3.87 mark in 12 starts at Comerica Park.

Inge (7-for-47, .149, 14 K’s), Damon (4-for-18, .222), Ryan Raburn (3-for-15, .200, 5 K’s), and Everett (0-for-6) have all struggled when facing Sabathia.

However, Santiago is 7-for-21 with a double, Laird is 5-for-12 (.417) with a homer and Cabrera is 5-for-8 (.625) with six RBIs.

Ordonez has the most experience against Sabathia, going 16-for-61 (.262) with 17 RBIs and eight strikeouts.

This figures to be the best pitching matchup of the series because Verlander has won his last two starts and has surrendered only four earned runs over his past 20 innings.

The former Rookie of the Year is 3-2 with a 4.36 ERA in six career starts against the Yankees. He’s dominated Swisher (7-for-38, .184, 14 K’s), Teixeira (1-for-12, .083, 5 Ks), and Posada (1-for-10).

But Jeter (6-for-15, .400) and A-Rod (3-for-10, .300, HR) have had success, and maybe Ramiro Pena (2-for-3) could even find his way into the lineup.

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison .

Jordan Schwartz is one of Bleacher Report’s New York Yankees and College Basketball Featured Columnists. His book Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com

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