Maybe the Phillies can receive a little respect in The Bronx this weekend.
TONIGHT’S PREVIEW: Phillies at Yankees
We all know it’s a different story in Queens, where Jimmy Rollins is regularly afforded the greeting of someone who has assaulted Mr. Met and stolen his lunch money.
Yankee Stadium should be a little more hospitable for the defending world champions beginning tonight. This could be one trip to the Big Apple when the Phillies are more respected than despised.
“Any time the defending champs come in to your home it adds a buzz,” said A.J. Burnett, the Yanks’ starting pitcher tonight. “Especially when you have a ballclub like that. They have come so far.”
The Yankees’ interleague slate consists of 18 games against the NL East, and aside from the Subway Series games against the Mets, none will generate the electricity of the next three.
It’s a rare chance for Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard to display their talents at the Stadium. It’s also an opportunity for the Yankees to show their latest surge in the standings — they have a nine-game winning streak — isn’t merely the product of facing weak competition.
The Phillies are 22-17 and lead the Mets by 1 ½ games in the NL East on the strength of a 14-5 road record, the best in the major leagues.
Six players in the Phillies’ lineup have at least 20 RBIs, led by Raul Ibanez, whose 15 homers and 40 RBIs make him an early MVP candidate.
“The key to them is keeping [Rollins] off the bases,” CC Sabathia said. “You don’t want him on base and you’re pitching to Howard, Utley and Ibanez.”
Sabathia, who is scheduled to start Sunday’s series finale, has a little different perspective than most of the Yankees when it comes to the Phillies. Sabathia was part of the Milwaukee team that lost to Philadelphia in last year’s NL Division Series. The Phillies then beat the Dodgers in the NLCS and the Rays in the World Series.
“I knew [Philly’s] lineup was good enough, but I thought the Cubs had a chance to win it all,” Sabathia said. “The Phillies’ pitchers stepped it up at the right time.”
It’s been a different story with the pitching this season. The Phillies have a 5.33 ERA, but have hit 56 homers to lead the NL.
Burnett, who spent seven years with the Marlins, is friends with several members of the Phillies and said he was genuinely happy when they won the World Series last year.
“I ran into [Howard] and [Rollins] in the Bahamas during the winter and the first thing I said to Jimmy is, ‘I’m so proud of you guys,’ ” Burnett said.
“We all came up together. We were in the same boat, the Marlins and Phillies. We were the last two teams in the division for a long time, and it’s good to see guys persevere through that, and look at what they’ve done and what they’ve become. It’s an awesome story.”
mpuma@nypost.com