Mets May 20 Preview

By Caleb Breakey/MLB.com


The Mets will look to continue a hot May when John Maine takes the mound against the Yankees in the Subway Series finale on Sunday night at Shea Stadium.

Maine has been dominant this season, owning a 5-1 record and a 2.15 ERA, which leads the
Mets' rotation. He is eighth in the National League with 8.05 strikeouts per nine innings, and he is ninth in the league with a .206 batting average against.

The Mets will try to nudge closer to the Yankees in the all-time Subway Series record between the two clubs, having taken the first two games of the series. The Yankees currently have a 32-24 edge.

Pitching for the Yankees will be right-handed rookie Tyler Clippard, who will be the seventh rookie to make a start in pinstripes this season.

Pitching matchup

NYM: RHP John Maine (5-1, 2.15 ERA)Maine has done just about nothing but win for the Mets this season, posting a 5-1 record in eight starts. He has struck out close to one batter per inning, recording 45 strikeouts in 50 1/3 innings.

NYY: RHP Tyler Clippard (Major League debut)Clippard steps onto one of the loudest stages in baseball, the Subway Series at Shea Stadium. The right-hander will be asked to calm his nerves and contain a Mets team that owns the second-most victories in the Major Leagues.

Player to watch

No Yankees player has had more than four at-bats against Maine. Catcher Jorge Posada, however, did hit a home run off the right-hander in his only trip to the plate against him.