YANKEE NOTES

This is one way to get in a batting slump. Over their next 10 games, the Yankees will face Pedro Martinez three times, beginning with today’s matchup at Yankee Stadium. That is one brutal task.

Martinez (6-0, 1.52 ERA) will go against Mike Mussina (4-4, 3.75) this afternoon. He is due to pitch against the Yankees again Wednesday night in Boston and in the makeup game June 4 at the Stadium.

Martinez was asked what he thought about facing the Yankees three times in 10 days. His response? “Go ask the Yankees how they feel about facing me.”

David Justice offered perfect Pedro perspective, saying, “We’re talking about Martinez like they probably used to talk about Koufax and Gibson. Every era you’re going to have the dominant pitchers. When we’re all playing in the old-timers’ game there’s going to be a young guy then that they’re talking about. That’s just how it goes.

“This is something you’ll talk about forever,” Justice said of facing Martinez. “Probably in an old-timers’ game Pedro will be sitting right across from us and we’ll be messing with him, saying, ‘How could you throw that hard at 130 pounds? I remember the night you struck me out three times. Why did you do me like that?’ It’s going to be fun to reminisce.”

Even if it’s not such fun over the next 10 days, but the Yankees have beaten the Red Sox each of the last four times Martinez has started against them.

Joe Torre said of the three dates against Martinez, “Good for us. What do you do? You’re not going to hide . . . The key is not to try to beat Martinez but to have your pitcher try to match him. That will be Mussina’s job.

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While looking ahead at pitching matchups, it’s worth noting that Roger Clemens is on schedule to pitch against the Mets at Shea in the three-game Subway Series in mid-June, setting up the Clemens-Mike Piazza rematch on Sunday, June 17. That means Clemens will bat in the series, if the Yankees keep him pitching every fifth day and skip Ted Lilly one time.