Followers of this blog know of my disdain for interleague play and the Subway Series, which I consider a gimmick that has run its course. It was all downhill after the 2000 World Series.

The players put on a good front, but the truth is most don’t like the Subway Series because it throws them out of their routines. There’s nothing compelling about it anymore, and there’s no such thing as bragging rights.

The Mets enter the weekend on a down note after losing two of three to Philadelphia. The Mets are hanging around with a minimum of offense because of the losses of Jose Reyes and Carlos Delgado.

A big reason why they are hanging around is tonight’s starter, Livan Hernandez, who has provided the innings as a fifth starter. Hernandez is coming off a June 7 victory over the Washington Nationals in which he threw seven scoreless innings. Hernandez has a nifty 1.57 ERA over his last four starts, and has allowed three runs or less in seven of his last eight.

However, Hernandez is 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA in five career starts versus the Yankees. He goes against Joba Chamberlain.

Here’s tonight’s lineup:

Alex Cora, SS
Fernando Martinez, LF
Carlos Beltran, CF
David Wright, 3B
Ryan Church, RF
Gary Sheffield, DH
Daniel Murphy, 1B
Brian Schneider, C
Luis Castillo, 2B