Davidoff: It's going to be some kind of summer

The Yankees kept coming Friday night, their strength against the Mets' weakness, and one of these times - you would've bet on it - the home team was sure to come through in this Subway Series II opener.

But that never came. The Mets' relievers protected the stellar performance of their starter, Hisanori Takahashi. Then, to add insult to improbability, it was the Mets' hitters who sealed this one by beating up on the Yankees' relievers, thereby passing another test in their increasingly rewarding season.

The Mets' 4-0 victory over the Yankees extended their overall winning streak to eight and their road run to seven, and it thrilled the vocal contingent of Mets fans who braved enemy territory to watch this Yankee Stadium masterpiece.

"I knew we were going to turn it around and play better baseball on the road," said Jose Reyes, one of many Mets to contribute. "It's going to be a fun ride."

The Mets are 15-18 on the road, within sniffing distance of the .500 mark they informally set as a target of respectability. Still, away victories nine through 14 came in the baseball ghost towns of Baltimore and Cleveland. We would've slammed the Mets for stumbling in those cities, yet Manuel's crew received no medals for acing those easy exams.

This weekend, however? The Yankees, in addition to being the defending world champions, are 41-26, tied with Tampa Bay for the best mark in baseball. Their 367 runs rank second in the game, behind Boston's 383, and their 272 runs allowed make them the third-stingiest pitching staff in the American League, behind Tampa Bay (256) and Minnesota (263).

But the Yankees are not themselves right now. They clobbered Phillies ace and longtime respected nemesis Roy Halladay on Tuesday, registering an 8-3 victory. Since then, they have totaled four runs in three games against the unimposing trio of Takahashi and the Phillies' Jamie Moyer and Kyle Kendrick, along with the Phillies' and Mets' bullpens.

Before the game, a scout from another club who watches the Yankees often said: "The Yankees are in trouble. [Jorge] Posada can't catch anymore, and what do they do if [Francisco] Cervelli gets hurt? [Jesus] Montero isn't ready. [Austin] Romine doesn't hit.

"[Mark] Teixeira is pull- happy and isn't making the proper adjustments. He's trying to hit every ball out. Who knows what's going to happen with A-Rod?"

With Tampa Bay also losing, 7-4, to Florida, and with the Red Sox prevailing over old pal Manny Ramirez and the Dodgers, 10-6, Boston (41-28) rests within one game, two in the loss column, of the Yankees and Rays. It's going to be an exciting summer.

"You can't jump off the bridge when you don't score runs for a few days," Joe Girardi said. "It's a long season."

With each impressive win, it looks to be the same for the Mets (39-28), who remained a half-game (tied in the loss column) behind the NL East-leading Braves (40-28), who beat Kansas City, 6-4.

The Yankees put runners in scoring position in the sixth through ninth innings - with the Mets expanding their lead from 1-0 to 4-0 in the eighth and ninth - but Takahashi cleaned up his own mess in the sixth, Pedro Feliciano took care of the seventh and eighth, and Francisco Rodriguez got out of a jam in the ninth. The Mets looked like the team in control, the guys who treat adversity as casually as a model treats an out-of-place strand of hair.

Another test passed for the Mets. Another lazy night for the Yankees' bats. Tired of the Subway Series? You're missing out on a great weekend.