Yeah, the Mariners are pretty pitiful. And yeah, they beat the Mets by a combined score of 16-2 over the first two games of the series. Thankfully, the Mets were able to save face on Wednesday with an 8-2 victory to prevent the sweep, but it was still something of a stomach punch after the Mets had won their past two series against superior competition. Next the Mets (38-39), back under .500, play the Yankees (42-36) and the pointless hullabaloo that goes with it. The Yanks, winners of seven of their last ten and 13 of their last 18.

The series starts off with a doubleheader on Friday. Mike Pelfrey (4-6, 4.30) and Dan Giese (1-2, 0.64) start the day game at Yankee Stadium, followed by Sidney Ponson (4-1, 3.88) and Pedro Martinez (2-1, 6.57) in the nightcap at Shea. Lefties Andy Pettitte (8-5, 4.04) and Johan Santana (7-6, 2.93) duel the next day, while Darrell Rasner (4-5, 4.50) and Oliver Perez (5-5, 5.29) close the season series on Sunday.

Game 1: Dan Giese, RHP

What’s the Story? It was a long road to the big leagues for Giese, who got his first taste as a September call-up with the Giants last year at 30 years of age. Giese was originally drafted by the Red Sox in the 34th round of the 1999 amateur draft, and it really is a shame it took as long for Giese to reach the majors as it did. In 658 career minor league innings, Giese has a 2.89 ERA with a decent strikeout rate and an outstanding walk rate. What’s perhaps most unusual is that he had never made a single start at any level until joining the Yankees organization this season. Thus far, he’s been a feel-good story posting a 0.64 ERA over his first 14 innings. Giese has thus far only shown two pitches: a high-80s fastball and a mid-70s slider. He scrapped his old change-up—which utilized a splitter grip—last season and has been working on a straight change but hasn’t used it yet.

Last Year: Giese has never faced the Mets.

What to Expect: As I mentioned, Giese only throws two pitches and neither is exactly a plus pitch. The fastball has little in the way of velocity, and the slider is really more of a slurve. However, he has outstanding control—he’s walked only one batter in the majors this season—and he does have an idea of what he’s doing out there. He will alter the speed and break of his slider, and he’ll change speeds very well. He doesn’t have a long track record of starting, so durability might be a question, but I expect he’ll throw enough strikes to keep his pitch count low. It might be wise to watch how lefties perform against Giese, since he lacks a changeup.

Game 2: Sidney Ponson, RHP

What’s the Story? You know you did something bad when the Rangers release you after pitching 55.2 innings of above average ball. But that’s just what happened to Ponson this season, prior to getting picked up by the Yankees for whom he’ll be making his first appearance this season. The team only vaguely cited attitude problems, which are nothing new to Sir Sidney, who has had problems with alcohol in the past. Still, the Yankees were desperate for pitching and willing to take a chance on Ponson, much as they did back in 2006. Ponson throws a low-90s sinking fastball, a good mid-80s slider, a high-70s curve, and a decent change-up.

Last Year: Ponson hasn’t pitched against the Mets since 2003. He is 1-1 with a 2.86 ERA in three career starts against them.

What to Expect: The key to beating Sidney Ponson is usually to let him beat himself. He doesn’t always have the sharpest command and will fall behind batters frequently. He ends up either having to give them a pitch to hit or putting them on base. Furthermore, he has had durability issues in the past, often tiring out after he exceeds 70 pitches or so. When he’s at his best, he’ll throw his fastball low in the strike zone, inducing groundballs and getting ahead of batters so he can use his offspeed stuff to its best effect. Mets hitters should aim to be patient, tiring out Ponson and waiting for him to make his mistakes.

Game 3: Andy Pettitte, LHP

What’s the Story? You can read my scouting report on Pettitte here.

This Year: Pettitte pitched okay against the Mets during his last outing. He went six innings and gave up three runs on seven hits, but all of the hits were singles, and he did strike out seven while walking just two. Kyle Farnsworth blew the game in the seventh.

What to Expect: Pettitte has good control and doesn’t like to put runners on base if he can help it, preferring not to give anything away he doesn’t need to. Pettitte will move the ball in and out of the strike zone, preferring to locate early in count to induce weak contact or swings-and-misses with curves or cutters out of the zone. His strikeout rate is up a little bit this season, and his groundball rate remains at a career high, so he’s doing a good job of keeping the ball down.

Game 4: Darrell Rasner, RHP

What’s the Story? You can read my scouting report on Rasner here.

This Year: Rasner’s planned first start against the Mets this season wound up getting rained out.

What to Expect: As I mentioned last time, Rasner’s addition of the cutter has drastically changed how he attacks hitters. He still tends to work off his sinker, but he can and will try to bust lefties inside with the cutter, something he’d never been able to do before. He’ll throw it against righties, too, but he’ll tend to run it on the outside corner against them. The cutter hasn’t quite been the godsend Rasner anticipated, however, largely due to the ineffectiveness of his sinker, which simply has not been getting groundouts.

Overall: I’m picking a split, I think. I think Mike Pelfrey’s due for a rough outing, and Dan Giese does have that first time seeing the Mets thing going for him. I do think the Mets will hit Ponson in the nightcap and Pedro will look somewhat improved. Johan will outpitch Pettitte on Saturday, but the Yanks will pound Ollie on Sunday. I should say that the Mets could take three out of four here, considering the pitching matchups, but I just don’t feel all that comfortable considering how they looked against Seattle.