How nice of the MLB schedule maker to deliver the anemic-hitting Mets to The Bronx this weekend.
Yes, the Yankees had won three of four on the road, but entering the Subway Series questions dominated the Yankees’ universe.
Those questions are still very much in play — they need at least one bat, will likely have to upgrade the starting rotation and they are lying to themselves if they believe the inconsistent Boone Logan is the answer from the left side of the bullpen.
However, the Yankees got fat on the Mets and there is no crime in that, because you only play the schedule.
So after yesterday’s 9-3 victory in front of 48,293 at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees have won five of seven and are percentage points ahead of the Rays atop the AL East.
They return to the varsity portion of the schedule tonight against Jose Bautista and the Blue Jays at the Stadium.
A lot has been made of the Yankees living with the home run and Curtis Granderson delivered his 16th in the first inning. But an eight-run seventh inning didn’t include a homer.
Instead, Granderson’s sacrifice bunt was the talk of the rally.
“The bunt set the tone,” said right fielder Chris Dickerson, who walked and scored, then dropped a bloop, two-run double into left field during the seventh. “It was an unbelievable bunt.”
Like a lot of Yankees, Granderson doesn’t care how the Yankees dent the plate.
“As long as they come across the plate, it really doesn’t matter to us,” Granderson said of the runs.
There is a chance Alex Rodriguez, who has 622 homers, leaves the game as the all-time home run hitter. Yesterday, he turned into Pete Rose. Of Rose’s record 4,256 hits, 3,215 were singles.
And Rodriguez had four of them as the Yankees improved to 9-0 in rubber games against the Mets in The Bronx. One was a dribbler back to Mike Pelfrey. Another was a grounder to left. The third one was a 60-foot RBI roller up the third base line in the seventh to break a 3-3 tie and the final hit glanced off third baseman Willie Harris’ glove.
Mets manager Terry Collins looked at the lower third of the Yankees order due to hit in the seventh with his club leading, 3-1, and felt good.
“That was an inning in which we had seven, eight and nine coming up,” Collins said. “We have to close the inning out and we didn’t do it.”
And it wasn’t like they spanked Pelfrey, who fell to 3-4.
“I don’t know if we hit one ball hard the whole inning,” Mark Teixeira said. “Sometimes in baseball that’s all you need.”
The Yankees turned five singles — only one of which was hit hard — a bloop double, a sacrifice bunt, a hit batsman and two walks into eight runs.
After Derek Jeter tied it, 3-3, with a two-run, seeing-eye single, Granderson bunted the runners over. With runners on second and third and one out, Collins ordered Tim Byrdak to intentionally walk Teixeira to load the bases for Rodriguez. Collins then called for right-hander Pedro Beato to face Rodriguez, who was 5-for-7 with 18 RBIs in nine plate appearances after Teixeira was walked intentionally, including postseason games.
“I really showed them,” Rodriguez cracked.
Robinson Cano added an RBI single and Brett Gardner and Dickerson had two-run hits to put it out of reach.
Ivan Nova allowed 11 hits, three runs and a walk in 6 2/3 innings, but gave the Yankees a chance to come back from a 3-1 deficit.
“I [fought]. I gave up three runs in the third and I stayed in the game until the seventh,” Nova said. “I threw a lot of pitches and still got to the seventh inning. You have to feel good.”
And thank the schedule maker for ordering the busses that delivered the Mets at a very opportune time.
george.king@nypost.com