New York @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 1, 2011 ) NY Yankees 5, NY Mets 1

THE STORY: The New York Yankees will be aiming for their seventh consecutive victory when they visit the rival New York Mets on Saturday afternoon. The Yankees have been on a roll since getting swept at home by the Boston Red Sox early last month, reeling off 16 wins in their last 20 games and opening a 2 1/2-game lead atop the American League East. The Yankees will be seeking their fourth consecutive win over the Mets after winning the final two of a three-game series in May.

TV: 4:10 p.m. ET, FOX

PITCHING MATCHUPS: Yankees RH Bartolo Colon (5-3, 3.10 ERA) vs. Mets RH Dillon Gee (8-1, 3.32 ERA). Colon will come off the disabled list to make his first start since straining a left hamstring in a win over Cleveland on June 11. The injury interrupted a superb stretch by Colon, who has won his last three starts while allowing only three runs in that stretch. He hasn’t faced the Mets since 2005. Carlos Beltran is 12-for-38 with four homers against him. Gee rebounded from his first loss of the year by beating Texas last time out, allowing three runs on eight hits in six innings. He has been prone to occasional bouts of wildness and will have to pound the strike zone against the patient Yankees lineup. The Mets have provided solid backing in Gee’s last seven starts, putting up an average of six runs per outing.

ABOUT THE METS (41-41): Leadoff hitter Jose Reyes had another pair of hits Friday night, his sixth consecutive multi-hit game and 42nd of the season. He is batting .640 (16-for-25) during the six-game hitting streak. No. 2 hitter Justin Murphy had three hits to extend his streak to five straight games and he has hit safely in nine of his last 10. After their 52-run rampage during a four-game winning streak, the Mets have been held to three runs in back-to-back losses. Gee has been a good-luck charm this season for the Mets, who have won 11 of his 12 starts.

ABOUT THE YANKEES (49-31): With Derek Jeter expected to play a rehab game Saturday, Eduardo Nunez is trying to make the most of every last opportunity. He went 4-for-4 and drove in a run in Friday’s series-opening victory. Mark Teixeira is hitting about 40 points below his lifetime average, but he is making the most of his hits with four homers and 10 RBIs in his last six games. He has 65 RBIs on the season and is on pace for about 130. Alex Rodriguez’s homerless drought reached 16 games, but he has seven multi-hit games in his last 10.

FINAL PITCH: Reyes had a sensational month of June. He batted .385 (45-for-117) with seven triples and 29 runs scored.