Mets vs. Yankees; Dickey vs. Sabathia

By: Mike Wagenman

Sunday night baseball.  Citi Field.  Mets vs. Yankees.  An important game for both teams, and a great pitching matchup for the fans.  Let’s take a closer look at tonight’s starting pitchers.

One starter has a 9-3 record, a 3.55 ERA, and 102 strikeouts, while the other has an 11-1 record, a 2.00 ERA, and 103 strikeouts.  The names attached to these statistics are CC Sabathia and R.A. Dickey, but who would have guessed the second cluster of numbers would be owned by Dickey?

So far in 2012, R.A. Dickey has been spectacular.  Some may even say he has been the best pitcher in major league baseball and deserves to start for the National League in the All-Star Game.  And why not?  He has the stats and consistency to back up the hype.  In fact, Dickey is one of five pitchers in baseball history to have 11 wins, an ERA of 2.00 or below, and a K/IP of 1.03 or better in his first 14 starts.  He is the first pitcher in 24 years to throw back to back one-hitters, and he currently owns a 42 2/3 scoreless inning streak coming into tonight’s bout with the cross-town rival Yankees.  Believe it or not, Dickey is just seven strikeouts behind Washington’s Stephen Strasburg for the MLB’s pitching triple crown.  “R.A.-dick-ulous” has a chance to prove himself as the real deal tonight against one of the strongest lineups in baseball and against one of the most proven aces in the past few seasons, CC Sabathia.

While Dickey has been nothing short of amazing in Queens, Sabathia has been on a bit of a roller coaster ride in the Bronx.  A 9-3 record may seem nice, but a 3.55 ERA from a number one starter is not so glamorous.  CC is coming off a complete game, two-earned-run win over the Braves, and is looking to carry that momentum into Citi Field tonight.  The Mets lineup isn’t exactly filled with the best hitters in the league, but it is a formidable one that has done just enough to win close ballgames all season long.  Sabathia needs to limit his mistakes early, and especially needs to lower the number of hits he gives up with less than two outs.  Those two points seem obvious, but also have proven to be the key downfalls of his poor outings.

To a casual fan of the game and on paper, the Yankees seem to be the favorites tonight.  That monster lineup, CC Sabathia on the hill, and a solid bullpen going up against an average Mets lineup and R.A. Dickey.  Not so fast, though.  R.A. Dickey and his hot streak may be too much for the Yankees to handle, especially at home where the fans have loved rallying behind the knuckleballer all season long and especially when the Yankees have been notorious for struggling against pitchers they are facing for the first time in a long time.  Sabathia has a 4.58 ERA on the road while Dickey is undefeated with a 1.20 ERA at home.  Factor in the return of shortstop Ruben Tejada (.305 AVG, .362 OBP) and reliever Ramon Ramirez for the Mets, and it sure looks as though the boys from Queens have the advantage. 

Tune in to ESPN at 8:00 PM as the Mets try to win part two of the 2012 Subway Series and as the Yankees look to win five of six over the Mets on the year.