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If you like seeing traditional rivals, the coming week of interleague play probably isn't for you. If you like to see top young talent just getting their feet wet in the Majors, though, get ready for six entertaining games.

Padres vs. Yankees
Game 1: Andy Pettitte vs. Randy Wolf
Game 2: Darrell Rasner vs. Jake Peavy
Game 3: Joba Chamberlain vs. Josh Banks

Cut to the Chase: Several major league teams promoted top prospects earlier in the year, hoping to catch lightning in a bottle the way the Brewers did last year with Ryan Braun. After racking up one of the worst records in the league, the San Diego Padres looked on their way to a lost season. In that context, calling up their best prospect too early in the season made little sense, since it would have started his free agency and arbitration clocks earlier than necessary.

Since then, several factors have changed. The Padres have won eight of their 11 games, creeping back to within shouting distance in the weak NL West. With the calendar hitting mid-June, the threat of their top prospect being eligible for super-two arbitration rights subsided. Scott Hairston's injury and the ineffectiveness of Paul McAnulty, Jody Gerut and others sealed the deal. It was time for Chase Headley.

When Headley takes the field, Yankees fans will see a 24-year-old switch-hitter considered one of the top power-hitting prospects in the game. At Triple-A Portland this year, Headley hit .305 AVG/.383 OBP/.556 SLG. That followed a monster 2007 campaign, in which Headley crushed Double-A pitching to the tune of .330/.437/.580, earning a late-season cp of coffee in the big leagues. Padres General Manager Kevin Towers says he expects Headley to play nearly every day in left field. He'll also get some spot starts at his natural third base position, when starter Kevin Kouzmanoff needs a rest.

The Padres rank 29th in the majors in runs scored at just 3.79 a game. Place some of the blame on Petco Park, the toughest hitter's park in the game. But save most of it for an offense that's light on impact hitters. If Headley comes anywhere close to matching his minor league performance, we won't see him leave the Padres lineup for the next six years-or more.

Bad Timing: Had game two of this series been held earlier this season, the Yankees would've held a substantial edge on the pitching side. Rasner barged into the Bombers rotation on fire, allowing just five runs in his first four starts. Since then he's been hit hard in two out of three outings, including a debacle at Oakland that saw Rasner yield seven runs on nine hits in 3.2 innings. Meanwhile the Padres' game two starter is merely the defending NL Cy Young winner Peavy. After missing four weeks of action with an elbow injury, Peavy returned with a vengeance on Thursday, tossing six scoreless innings, with four strikeouts and just three hits allowed. The two pitchers' recent shifts in fortune suddenly make this series a lot closer than you'd expect when a 37-33 team faces a 31-40 club.

Series Prediction: The Yankees take two out of three, as Chamberlain beats fast fellow fast-starting rookie Banks in the rubber match.

Reds vs. Yankees
Game 1: Mike Mussina vs. Edinson Volquez
Game 2: Dan Giese vs. Homer Bailey
Game 3: Andy Pettitte vs. Johnny Cueto

More rookies-a lot more: The Yankees get their first look at three of the most highly-touted young pitchers in baseball when Volquez, Bailey and Cueto come to Yankee Stadium.

Volquez has been, astoundingly, the best pitcher on the planet this season. In 88 innings, Volquez has struck out a mind-boggling 105 batters while allowing just 59 hits. His 9-2 record ranks among the best in the game, while his 1.64 ERA is second to none. Volquez has some Pedro Martinez in him. The 24-year-old is listed at a fairly modest 6-foot, 200 pounds, yet he generates ample heat on his fastball. What really evokes the Pedro images is his change-up, a nasty pitch that throws batters out of whack due to its sharp movement and Volquez's ability to disguise it with his consistent arm action. Not bad for a kid who idolized Pedro growing up. The trade of Josh Hamilton to the Rangers for Volquez could be the biggest win-win deal baseball has seen in a generation.

Johnny Cueto has found tougher sledding in their first taste of the big leagues. Cueto was almost literally unhittable at the start, firing 10 strikeouts by the Diamondbacks in his April 3 debut, while yielding just one hit in seven innings. He's been extremely erratic since then: At times he's another Pedro clone, with a sub-6-foot frame and the same explosive fastball-change combo; other times he's struggled with command, grooving enough pitches to surrender 18 homers in 79.2 innings. Cueto could pull a Whitey Ford at Yankee Stadium this weekend — or an Ed Whitson. With his arsenal and track record, anything is possible.

Meanwhile, Bailey has struggled mightily, allowing 15 runs, 10 walks and six homers in his first 12.2 innings. He's been unable to locate pitches where he wanted, with disastrous results. Facing the Red Sox on Sunday, Bailey was all over the strike zone in facing Coco Crisp in the second inning. After Crisp worked the count to 3-2, catcher David Ross signaled for a fastball on the outside corner. Instead Bailey threw a meatball middle-in. Crisp hit the pitch so far over the right-field wall, you'd have sworn it was David Ortiz swinging the bat. Bailey's Yankee Stadium start on Saturday could be his last in the majors for a while if he doesn't turn things around. He's got the talent and pedigree to succeed, but he's also a reminder that most young pitchers don't quite look like Chamberlain — or Volquez — in their first crack at the big leagues.

Throw in superprospect center fielder Jay Bruce, and this should be a fun first look at some great-if sometimes raw-talents.

O-Kei?: A day after injuring his foot in a 13-0 stomping of the Astros, the Yankees fear they may have lost staff ace Chien-Ming Wang to a serious injury. On crutches and wearing a soft cast, there's concern that Wang may have suffered a Lisfranc injury similar to the one that knocked Brian Bruney onto the disabled list for an extended period of time. He's certainly scratched for his scheduled start on Saturday. That could prompt the Yanks to tap Kei Igawa for another spin. Igawa's been effective at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, posting a 3-to-1 strikeout-to-walk rate as a starter. If Igawa falters, Ian Kennedy could be another possibility, with the righty due back by the end of June. The Yankees could also opt to get aggressive on the trade market, going after someone like Wolf, possibly Rich Harden, or even C.C. Sabathia.

It's a tough situation, regardless. It's also a reminder of what a smart move it was to move Chamberlain to the starting rotation. All the critics who claimed that Mariano Rivera is wasted if the Yankees can't carry a lead through the 8th inning apparently forgot that innings one through seven matter too.

Series Prediction: The Reds take two of three in the Bronx.

Jonah Keri is a contributor to YESNetwork.com and a writer for ESPN.com. Email your questions and comments to jonahkeri@gmail.com.