There stands to be excitement and intrigue surrounding tonight’s Mets vs. Giants game, the kind that reverberated around Labor Day 2007’s Mets vs. Reds match up.

In that Labor Day game, Pedro Martinez returned from injury. He did not have his most dynamic outing, allowing five hits, three walks and two earned runs, but ultimately, he pitched well enough to win and left unscathed. The Mets can only hope for similar results tonight.

Martinez’s rash of injuries since mid-season 2006 have severely put in question the merits of Omar Minaya’s four-year, $53 million dollar signing. With the ace right-hander making only five starts in 2007, the team needs Martinez to shoulder more of the pitching duties in 2008, or plainly, half the pitcher’s contract will prove fruitless for the Mets.

Perhaps it is a different kind of excitement that centers around New York tonight. On this year’s Opening Day, Mets fans seemed eager to see Johan Santana in action. That same anticipation tonight may be replaced by anxious onlookers, disturbed by every odd move of Martinez on the mound.

In the past, the national media has made hasty generalizations, saying the Mets have absolutely no pitching and without Martinez, the team is doomed. The team may not be doomed, but a healthy Martinez need not be dominating on the mound to have an impact in 2008. His clubhouse presence alone, as well as his Hall of Fame-caliber stuff, would quickly pay dividends.

Over in the Bronx, the Yankees are reacting to both the echoing demands of Hank Steinbrenner and the disabled list trips of Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy.

To say Hughes and Kennedy have been underwhelming thus far would be understatement. Hughes went 0-4 with a 9.00 ERA and 2.14 WHIP before landing on the disabled list on April 30. Ian Kennedy was 0-3 with a 7.41 ERA and 1.75 WHIP before being placed on the D.L. on May 28.

It’s far too early to pass judgment on Hughes and Kennedy. New York fans are notoriously reactionary, and the pitchers are young yet. What stood questioning was the continuing use of Joba Chamberlain this season in the set-up role. Perhaps the best of the three, Chamberlain was wasted in the bullpen while Kei Igawa received an opportunity to throw live, in-game batting practice. Pigeonholing a quality starting pitcher into a bullpen role, much less a middle relief role, is mind-boggling and only minimizes the contributions the pitcher can have for the team. Finally Chamberlain gets his starting opportunity tonight, and with solid outings from him, better sense may prevail.

Who has the better chance of winning tonight — Martinez or Chamberlain? The nod goes to Martinez, who faces a slowly recovering Barry Zito and the Giants. While only collecting one win in five starts since returning from the bullpen, Zito put up adequate numbers in every game. He’s still walking too many batters, but he’s found ways to minimize the damage.

As for Chamberlain, he goes head-to-head against Roy Halladay and the Blue Jays. A man with a handful of complete games under his belt this season, Halladay is coming off two brilliant starts against the A’s and Royals. Halladay’s ace card is a tough draw, indeed, for Chamberlain’s first start. Tonight’s Yankees vs. Blue Jays game should be a highly interesting and entertaining contest.