Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Fernando Tatis has been one of the players the Mets have called on to replace Carlos Delgado at first.

By Eduardo Perez, ESPN

Even with their own division fights on their hands and interleague play becoming a familiar part of the game, any time the New York Mets and Yankees get together, it's big.

Featured Series: Mets at Yankees

FRIDAY Mets (Livan Hernandez) at Yankees (Joba Chamberlain), 7:05 ET

SATURDAY Mets (John Maine) at Yankees (Andy Pettitte), 4:10 ET

SUNDAY Mets (Johan Santana) at Yankees (A.J. Burnett), 1:05 ET

It still means a lot. I was just in New York this week, and the fans are fired up. This is a passionate baseball city, and both those fan bases want those bragging rights. You even have families split along team lines. I don't think it's ever going to die.

This weekend's series is at the new Yankee Stadium, so the fresh atmosphere might add some to the fun. I love when Rays manager Joe Maddon said recently that the new park has a lot of the same features as the old one, but it doesn't have the same smell. He's right. The smell is gone. Clubs knew they were in trouble when they walked down those steps at the old stadium. This Yankees team still has to prove it can win consistently at home. The players still have the famous name on the front of their jerseys, but need to build their own winning legacy in the new park.

That being said, I still say the Yankees are really going to struggle against the Mets this weekend. They are coming off a Boston series in which they were beaten up a bit, especially A.J. Burnett and Chien-Ming Wang. Their bullpen is definitely shot. Relief pitching has been their biggest weakness; they need to get that figured out soon. Right now, the Mets have the advantage. But the Mets are fighting their own issues, the biggest of which is injuries. Without Carlos Delgado and Jose Reyes available, the whole complexion of the team changes. Now, if they can go out and win this series, it will give them some confidence. Fernando Tatis and Daniel Murphy have done a pretty decent job filling in at first, but those guys don't have the same presence as Delgado. Alex Cora has filled in nicely for Reyes, so the club has good depth. The Mets have strong starters (when healthy) and a solid bench, and that will take them a ways.

Both teams are coming off series with big rivals, the Yankees with Boston and the Mets with Philadelphia, but don't expect any kind of letdown this weekend. After the Subway Series, it might be a different story, but both teams know what's at stake this weekend and they are both used to dealing with the attention and pressure that come with playing in the Big Apple. Whichever teams comes out on top, the good news for the other is that these teams are going to be back at it over at Citi Field in a few weeks.

Past Baseball Tonight Clubhouses: June 10 | June 9 | June 8 | June 7 | June 4

TOUCH 'EM ALL

Who went deep? Keep track of all the home runs hit each day on "Baseball Tonight" and on the Baseball Tonight Clubhouse page.

For more, check out the Home Run Tracker page.

Home Run Tracker
NAME	HR	OPP	PITCHER	SITUATION
R. Gload, Fla	2	StL	Wellemeyer	Bot 2: 0-1, 1 Outs. 1 on.
A. Pujols, StL	19	Fla	Miller	Top 6: 3-1, 1 Outs. 1 on.
R. Gload, Fla	3	StL	Wellemeyer	Bot 6: 3-1, 0 Outs. None on.
D. Young, Pit	1	Atl	Vazquez	Top 5: 2-2, 1 Outs. None on.
I. Stewart, Col	12	Mil	Gallardo	Top 4: 1-2, 0 Outs. None on.
J. Crede, Min	10	Oak	Cahill	Top 4: 0-0, 1 Outs. 2 on.
J. Upton, Ari	12	SF	Sanchez	Bot 3: 0-1, 1 Outs. None on.
D. Lee, ChC	7	Hou	Hawkins	Top 9: 1-2, 1 Outs. None on.
J. Thome, CWS	12	Det	Jackson	Bot 2: 1-1, 0 Outs. None on.
A. Kennedy, Oak	5	Min	Blackburn	Bot 8: 2-0, 1 Outs. 1 on.
R. Braun, Mil	13	Col	Street	Bot 9: 1-2, 2 Outs. 2 on.

The complete list of Thursday's homers

ON DECK: WEEKEND WATCH

Red Sox at Phillies

The Phillies might be better off if this series were at Fenway Park. The Phillies, owners of the second-best record in the NL behind the Dodgers, are 12-14 this season at home. The Red Sox, coming off a home sweep of the Yankees, also wouldn't mind if they were able to stay home.

White Sox at Brewers

The Brewers limp into the series having lost four in a row. And the problem has been close games -- of those four consecutive losses, three have come by one run. The White Sox just want to score some runs; they enter the series third-worst in the AL in runs scored.

Dodgers at Rangers

Are the Rangers beginning to feel it without Josh Hamilton? Texas has lost four of five but still remains atop the AL West. Rangers pitchers might want to be careful with Andre Ethier, who is hitting .400 with five homers, three doubles and eight RBIs so far in June.

For the rest of Friday's schedule, click here. To see what's on tap for Saturday, click here. And for Sunday's full slate of games, click here.