Pettitte (8-5, 4.04 ERA) has won his last three starts, allowing one run in 21 innings. The 36-year-old lefty threw six scoreless innings in Sunday's 4-1 win over Cincinnati, running his shutout stretch to 19 consecutive innings - his longest since a 23-inning run in 1997.

"Andy is back to being Andy," manager Joe Girardi said of Pettitte, 5-0 with a 3.61 ERA over his last seven starts. "He's been on a nice little run. He's been a big-game pitcher for a long time."

Saturday matchup qualifies as a big game, as Pettitte will be squaring off against Santana (7-6, 2.93) for the second time this season. Santana gave up four runs in 7 2-3 innings of a 7-4 win at Yankee Stadium on May 17, while Pettitte yielded three runs in six innings and was charged with the loss.

However, the Mets' ace has struggled recently, going 0-3 over his last four starts despite a 2.08 ERA. The two-time Cy Young Award-winner gave up five runs - one earned - and a grand slam to pitcher Felix Hernandez in Monday's 5-2 loss to Seattle.

"I felt better tonight than I felt for the whole season," Santana said. "We didn't execute the way we're supposed to."

Santana, in his first season in New York after nine in Minnesota, is 4-0 with a 2.98 ERA in nine career appearances - six starts - against the Yankees (43-37). Pettitte, meanwhile, is 7-4 with a 3.48 ERA in 17 starts against the Mets (39-40).

Pettitte could have his hands full against Carlos Delgado, who set a franchise record with nine RBIs in the first game of Friday's two-stadium doubleheader, hitting a grand slam and a three-run homer in the Mets' 15-6 victory at Yankee Stadium. After that game, a makeup of a May 16 rainout, the teams traveled to Shea, where the Yankees won 9-0 for their first win in four games this season against their crosstown rivals.

Delgado has been slumping for most of the season and is hitting just .233. However, he is 21-for-63 (.333) with five homers and 17 RBIs all-time against Pettitte.

"I got lucky," said Delgado, who turned 36 on Wednesday. "Every time I came up, it seems like they had a lot of guys on base, so I got some good pitches to hit, and I was able to drive them."

The Mets swept a season series at Yankee Stadium for the first time, but were shut out for the third time, and second in four games, at Shea. Delgado went 0-for-2 in the nightcap, the fifth time in six games he has failed to get a hit.

Sidney Ponson, released by Texas earlier this month for being a disruption to the team, threw six scoreless innings in his return to the Yankees, and Bobby Abreu went 4-for-4 with a walk and three RBIs. Derek Jeter doubled to extend his hitting streak to 15 games.

"You have to be able to respond," Girardi said.