New York @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 2, 2011 ) NY Yankees 5, NY Mets 2

THE STORY: Beating the New York Yankees is hard enough at full strength. Going up against them without the services of your best player seems like a daunting task. But that looks like what the New York Mets will have to do Sunday after star shortstop Jose Reyes left Saturday’s contest in the second inning with tightness in his left hamstring. The Yankees went on to their seventh straight victory after Reyes left, and the Mets fell for the third consecutive time. The visiting Yankees will be looking to keep streaking at the expense of their cross-town rivals when they close out interleague play Sunday afternoon.

TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, TBS, SNY, YES

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets RH R.A. Dickey (4-7, 3.77 ERA) vs. Yankees RH Freddy Garcia (7-6, 3.28). Dickey presided over the Mets’ lone win over the Yankees in five tries this season, allowing one run on four hits in six innings May 20. The veteran knuckleballer has posted quality starts in five of his last six outings, including a win at Detroit on Tuesday. Dickey owns a 3-1 record with a 2.39 ERA in eight career games - two starts - against the Yankees. Garcia was on the losing end of that May 20 duel, yielding two runs on five hits in seven innings. The Venezuelan righthander has earned the win in each of his last two outings, surrendering a total of two earned runs in 13 innings. He has not allowed a home run in any of his last four starts. Garcia has made three starts against the Mets in his career, going 1-2 with a 2.61 ERA.

ABOUT THE METS (41-42): The Mets were lighting up the scoreboard to the tune of 52 runs during a four-game winning streak earlier in the week. They have gone cold lately, however, managing five runs in the last three games. Saturday’s 5-2 loss clinched the six-game season series for the Yankees and came mostly with Reyes on the bench. The shortstop beat out an infield single leading off the first inning and was removed before the start of the third. Reyes, who leads the majors with a .354 batting average, has a history of hamstring issues and was removed as a precaution. Reyes, who will be one of the prime free agents to hit the market this winter, also happens to be the most valuable trade chip the Mets possess, should they choose to start selling anytime soon.

ABOUT THE YANKEES (50-31): The National League has not been a challenge for the Yankees. It is not just the team across town that the Yankees have beat up on either as they lead the majors with a 13-4 mark in interleague play. The Yankees, who lead the league in runs scored, have averaged 6.6 runs during their seven-game winning streak but have also gotten strong pitching, allowing an average of two runs in that span. Bartolo Colon returned from the disabled list and pitched six strong innings Saturday after Ivan Nova got the win in Friday’s series opener. Rookie Eduardo Nunez has made this edition of the Subway Series his personal coming out party, going 7-for-8 with a home run and a pair of RBIs in the two games.

FINAL PITCH: The man Nunez has replaced at shortstop, Derek Jeter, made his first rehab appearance for Double A Trenton on Saturday and went 1-for-2 with a run scored in five innings. The Yankees captain is six hits away from 3,000 and is scheduled to rejoin the team Monday in Cleveland.