ESPN

Brace for another one of those nutty cross-town New York doubleheaders, with the Yankees and Mets scheduled to battle at Yankee Stadium at 2 p.m., then shuttle across the city to Shea Stadium to play again at 8 p.m. And, oh, what pitching matchups we'll see in that doubleheader, with Sidney Ponson slated to make his Yankees debut in Game 2.

Meanwhile, Daryl Thompson's second career start is an unfortunate matchup against red-hot C.C. Sabathia, Daisuke Matsuzaka makes his second start since returning from the DL and Jose Contreras gets a chance at redemption against the Cubs.

Time	Visitors		L/R	Record	ERA	WHIP		Home		L/R	Record	ERA	WHIP
2:05 p.m.		Mike Pelfrey	R	4-6	4.30	1.60	@		Dan Giese	R	1-2	0.64	0.79
4:05 p.m.		Sean Gallagher	R	3-3	3.97	1.32	@		Jose Contreras	R	6-6	3.96	1.23
7:05 p.m.		Daryl Thompson	R	0-0	0.00	1.60	@		C.C. Sabathia	L	5-8	4.06	1.28
7:05 p.m.		Ubaldo Jimenez	R	2-7	4.52	1.53	@		Eddie Bonine	R	1-0	5.84	1.38
7:05 p.m.		Scott Kazmir	L	6-3	2.03	1.02	@		Jimmy Barthmaier	R	0-0	0.00	0.00
7:07 p.m.		Jair Jurrjens	R	7-3	3.20	1.39	@		Dustin McGowan	R	6-5	4.21	1.38
7:10 p.m.		Micah Owings	R	6-6	5.11	1.34	@		Ricky Nolasco	R	7-4	4.31	1.35
7:35 p.m.		Daniel Cabrera	R	5-3	4.46	1.38	@		Odalis Perez	L	2-5	4.09	1.54
8:05 p.m.		Brett Myers	R	3-9	5.51	1.51	@		Kason Gabbard	L	2-3	4.96	1.78
8:05 p.m.		Daisuke Matsuzaka	R	8-1	3.46	1.42	@		Runelvys Hernandez	R	0-0	0.00	0.00
8:10 p.m.		Joel Pineiro	R	2-3	3.86	1.24	@		Gil Meche	R	5-8	4.91	1.34
8:10 p.m.		Seth McClung	R	5-3	3.79	1.24	@		Nick Blackburn	R	6-4	3.68	1.33
8:10 p.m.		Sidney Ponson	R	4-1	3.88	1.56	@		Pedro Martinez	R	2-1	6.57	1.70
10:05 p.m.		Kevin Correia	R	1-5	5.20	1.51	@		Dana Eveland	L	5-5	3.51	1.38
10:05 p.m.		Jarrod Washburn	L	2-7	5.52	1.59	@		Randy Wolf	L	5-6	4.09	1.29
10:40 p.m.		Joe Saunders	L	11-3	3.03	1.12	@		Chan Ho Park	R	2-2	2.83	1.41

All times are ET.

Out
Shawn Chacon, RP, Astros (suspension)
Brandon Inge, C/3B/OF, Tigers (oblique)
Akinori Iwamura, 2B/3B, Rays (suspension)
Reed Johnson, OF, Cubs (back)
Kazuo Matsui, 2B, Astros (hamstring)
Scott Proctor, RP, Dodgers (elbow)
Ian Snell, SP, Pirates (elbow)

Day-to-day
Alfredo Amezaga, OF, Marlins (groin)
Hank Blalock, 3B, Rangers (wrist)
Milton Bradley, OF, Rangers (quadriceps)
Joe Crede, 3B, White Sox (back)
Johnny Damon, OF, Yankees (foot)
Edwin Encarnacion, 3B, Reds (back)
Yunel Escobar, 2B/3B/SS, Braves (shoulder)
Kosuke Fukudome, OF, Cubs (calf)
Eric Gagne, RP, Brewers (shoulder)
Mark Grudzielanek, 2B, Royals (back)
Vladimir Guerrero, OF, Angels (flu)
Josh Hamilton, OF, Rangers (knee)
Omar Infante, 2B/3B, Braves (hamstring)
Maicer Izturis, 2B/3B/SS, Angels (hamstring)
Chipper Jones, 3B, Braves (quadriceps)
Paul Lo Duca, C, Nationals (light-headedness)
Hideki Matsui, OF, Yankees (knee, neck)
Brandon Morrow, RP, Mariners (back)
Xavier Nady, OF, Pirates (shoulder)

Hitters: Among the designated hitters likely to sit with their teams playing in National League ballparks are Cliff Floyd (Rays), Aubrey Huff (Orioles), probably Coco Crisp but possibly Manny Ramirez instead (Red Sox) and Jose Vidro (Mariners). Garret Anderson almost assuredly will play left field for the Angels with Gary Matthews Jr. sitting, as Anderson is 14-for-40 (.350 AVG) with a home run lifetime against the Dodgers' Chan Ho Park. ... Among meaningful National League hitters likely to get spot starts thanks to the addition of the DH in AL parks: Jeff Baker (Rockies), Craig Counsell (Brewers), Norris Hopper (Reds), Nick Stavinoha (Cardinals), Daryle Ward (Cubs) and Jayson Werth (Phillies). ... Doubleheaders mean double the statistical opportunities, and the Yankees face two right-handers (Pedro Martinez and Mike Pelfrey) who give up a good share of hits to lefties. That's great news for Bobby Abreu, Robinson Cano and Jason Giambi, the three Yankee left-handers most guaranteed to play both ends of the double-dip. Of course, that's not to knock Melky Cabrera, Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui or Jorge Posada; they're all fine to use, too. ... Of course, the Mets get the advantage of battling two unpredictable right-handers in Dan Giese and Sidney Ponson. Load up with their lefty bats, too, guys like Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado and Trot Nixon. Beltran, incidentally, is a lifetime .480 hitter (12-for-25) with two home runs against Ponson. ... Aramis Ramirez is 7-for-14 with four home runs and 10 RBIs in his career against the White Sox's Jose Contreras. Ramirez homered off Contreras in their meeting last Saturday, in fact. ... Akinori Iwamura was scheduled to have the appeal of his three-game suspension heard on Wednesday, with a ruling likely coming before Friday. He'll probably sit a couple of weekend games beginning on Friday. ... Stephen Drew is 3-for-6 with two home runs in his career against the Marlins' Ricky Nolasco. He was also 3-for-8 with a home run in two games at Florida's Dolphin Stadium earlier this season. ... Angels hitters are familiar with the Dodgers' Chan Ho Park, dating back to his days in Texas. Besides the aforementioned Anderson, Chone Figgins is 5-for-14 (.357 AVG) in his career against Park, while Vladimir Guerrero is 15-for-47 (.319) with four home runs against the right-hander.

Pitchers: Pedro Martinez is a less durable, less dominating hurler than the one who has pitched well against the Yankees in the past. This Pedro has a 5.91 ERA and .340 BAA in four starts since his return from the DL, and lefties tend to tear him up. And, you guessed it, these Yankees are lefty-heavy. It's a bad mix and a high-risk proposition. ... The Cubs clobbered Jose Contreras last Saturday (3 1/3 IP, 10 H, 9 ER, 3 HR), though it's important to point out that the Cubs are a significantly stronger offense at home. Plus, Contreras has a 3.04 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in seven starts at his home field this year, so while there's shallow-mixed risk, he's better than you think for AL-only formats. ... C.C. Sabathia's 5-5 record in his past 12 starts doesn't do justice to how well he has pitched. He has a 2.14 ERA and 1.02 WHIP during that span, with nine of the 12 quality starts and none having allowed more than four earned runs. He's also no stranger to these "Battles for Ohio," with a 2-0 record, 2.68 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in seven career starts against the Reds. ... Though he hasn't pitched deep into either of his past two starts, running up bloated pitch counts, Scott Kazmir has a significant advantage over the Pirates. ... Both Jair Jurrjens and Dustin McGowan are better pitchers in their home games than on the road, but McGowan's splits are more extreme. He's 12-4 with a 2.76 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in 19 starts at Rogers Centre since the start of last season, compared to 6-11 with a 5.40 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in 24 road starts during that span. That makes McGowan a must-start, but Jurrjens warrants a look, too, in what should be a close affair. After all, the Blue Jays sport the weaker offense and Jurrjens' 3.98 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in seven road starts this year aren't bad. ... Bench Micah Owings until he shakes his recent funk. He's 0-4 with an 8.53 ERA in his past five starts, and the Marlins do a decent job of getting to right-handers besides (.799 team OPS, third-best in MLB). ... If you haven't used Brett Myers at home this season, you shouldn't use him in Texas, either. Come to think of it, you just shouldn't use him, unless it's a road start against a pretty weak offense. And the Rangers are not a weak offense. ... Daisuke Matsuzaka got rocked in his first start off the DL last Saturday (1 IP, 6 H, 7 ER, 3 BB), but expect progress in start No. 2. For one thing, he tends to pitch better on the road, where he's 3-0 with a 2.60 ERA in five starts this year. ... Though the Brewers hope to get Eric Gagne back from the DL on Friday, he's expected to work in a setup role to current closer Salomon Torres. Keep him reserved to see how he fares initially. ... The Dodgers have a team OPS more than 50 points higher against left-handers than right-handers, but don't let that scare you off Joe Saunders. He's 6-1 with a 1.89 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in seven road starts, and only five times has he not managed a quality start in 15 tries all season.

Hitters: For as long as Jim Edmonds continues to hit well, keep considering him against right-handers. He has a home run in two career at-bats against the White Sox's Jose Contreras. ... Eric Patterson was 3-for-3 with a double against Contreras in their meeting Saturday. He's hitting a blistering .421 (8-for-19) in five games since his promotion and is getting the bulk of the at-bats in left field against right-handers. ... The Reds will want to get David Ross into their lineup against the Indians' C.C. Sabathia, considering he's 2-for-5 with two home runs in his career against the left-hander. You should too. ... Incredibly, Chris Gomez is one of the only Pirates with real experience against the Rays' Scott Kazmir, and he's 7-for-14 in his career against the southpaw. If you see his name in the early lineup -- and it'd probably be at third base -- consider spot-starting him in a deep NL-only league. ... With Nick Johnson out for the season, Dmitri Young has a clear shot at everyday at-bats at first base, making him an interesting deeper-league pickup. Here's a nice matchup to exploit him, as he's 4-for-8 with a home run lifetime against the Orioles' Daniel Cabrera. ... Joey Gathright is 2-for-2 with a home run in his career against the Cardinals' Joel Pineiro and back in Kansas City, where the Royals will have the DH, he's a much better spot starter. ... Rich Aurilia is a noted lefty-killer and is 3-for-6 lifetime against the A's Dana Eveland.

Pitchers: Dan Giese pitched remarkably well in his first big-league start last Saturday (6 2/3 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 0 ER), and for the season has a 1.73 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in 17 games (11 starts) between the majors and minors. It's a hot streak AL-only owners at least should continue to ride, even against the Mets. ... Keep Sean Gallagher in there in NL-only formats. It's not the easiest of matchups for him, a road start at U.S. Cellular Field, but his 2.83 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in his past five starts are encouraging. ... Daryl Thompson has pitched remarkably well in Double-A, Triple-A and in his big-league debut last Saturday, so NL-only owners should spot him in there against a struggling mediocre Indians offense. ... Ricky Nolasco has quality starts in six of his past nine turns, going 6-1 with a 3.34 ERA and 1.25 WHIP during that span. That included a seven-inning, one-run win over the Diamondbacks on May 21, and be aware that the Diamondbacks are in the midst of a massive funk offensively. ... Joel Pineiro pitched a great game against the Royals on June 17, going seven innings and allowing one run on seven hits, and in three starts since returning from the DL, he has a 2.37 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. He's a bit underrated in NL-only and even some deep-mixed formats. ... Nick Blackburn has been lights-out at home, with a 4-2 record, 2.20 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in seven starts at the Metrodome. The Brewers' offense might have awoken this month, but not to the levels where this should be a troubling matchup for the right-hander.

Braves-Blue Jays, Red Sox-Astros and Brewers-Twins are the lone weatherproof contests for Friday, but the bulk of the teams in the Northeast (and Midwest, technically) will wish they played under a roof. Rain could be an issue in Chicago (Cubs-White Sox), Cleveland (Reds-Indians), Detroit (Rockies-Tigers), Kansas City (Cardinals-Royals), Pittsburgh (Rays-Pirates) and Washington (Orioles-Nationals), though only in Chicago and Detroit is the chance at 60 percent. New York might also see rain, only an issue because that's a lot of baseball for the Mets and Yankees to play on one day. As always, teams do everything in their power to play out interleague contests, so don't get too worried, though this might be one of the wetter dates in the month of June.

Tristan H. Cockcroft covers fantasy sports for ESPN.com. You can e-mail him here.