NEW YORK -- One month ago, Tino Martinez was among the hottest hitters in baseball. With 10 home runs in May, Martinez led all American Leaguers, as every pitch within a sniff of the strike zone had the potential to land in the seats.

But Martinez's hot streak went cold in a hurry. He's hitting .121 in June with no homers and two RBIs, as Jason Giambi has seen the bulk of playing time at first base.

Friday night, Joe Torre inserted the slumping Martinez into the lineup, looking to put his best defensive team on the field against the Mets and Pedro Martinez.

"Tino gives us better defense, and when you're dealing with Pedro, you know he's not going to give you a whole lot," Torre said. "We're going to go as well defensively as we can, so when we get an opportunity, we can take advantage of it."

Entering Friday, Martinez had started just one of the last 11 games, and he hadn't played at all in the last three. Martinez has one hit in his last 14 at-bats and only four in his last 43. And on top of everything, he has been battling an injury to his right heel for the past two weeks.

"The doctor said that I can't hurt it or make it worse, and that's all I need to know," Martinez said. "If I can't tear anything, I don't care. It doesn't matter. I'll just play."

"His foot probably still bothers him, but guys like us who can't run, you can hardly tell," said a smiling Torre. "It's just a little discomfort. It's not going to limit him in any way, but by the end of the day, it's a little sore."

Brown heads south: Kevin Brown, on the disabled list with a strained lower back since June 16, was scheduled to return home to Macon, Ga., this weekend to visit with his physical therapist.

Brown has missed two starts since going on the DL. After meeting with his therapist, Brown will travel to Tampa, where he will rehab at the Yankees' training complex while the team is on the road.

"Hopefully, by the start of the week, he'll be able to start tossing a little bit," Torre said. "When he picks the ball up, we'll be able to start counting days."

Metallica meeting: James Hetfield, the lead singer of Metallica, was at Friday night's game between the Yankees and Mets as a guest of his friend, Randy Johnson.

But Hetfield was interested in meeting another Yankees pitcher: closer Mariano Rivera.

Rivera, of course, comes in to Metallica's "Enter Sandman" when he enters a game at Yankee Stadium. The closer talked with Hetfield during batting practice, chatting for a few minutes on the field.

When asked who he would be rooting for on Friday, Hetfield said his allegiances were with the Bombers.

"I'll root for my buddy, Randy," he said. "And my new buddy, Mo."

Hetfield and Johnson have known each other for several years, meeting after Johnson attended some of the band's concerts.

"He kind of stalked us for a while," joked Hetfield. "I wasn't the biggest baseball fan until I met him. That's kind of how it goes for me. You get to be a fan of something after you personally meet someone, and I've been following Randy since Arizona."

Hetfield was hoping to see Rivera come in for a save opportunity on Friday, just to see the crowd rock to his song. When asked if he gets royalties every time Rivera comes into a home game, the singer laughed.

"I haven't checked into that," Hetfield said. "If it gets the place pumping, take it. I love that."

Hideki still hobbling: Hideki Matsui was the designated hitter again on Friday, and Torre was unsure when he would be ready to return to the outfield.

"He's not ready today and probably won't be ready tomorrow," Torre said. "As a right-handed thrower, you have to push off that ankle, which is a problem. I'm sure we're slowing the process down by him playing, but there's not much we can do about it."

Matsui has 19 hits in his last 38 at-bats, a .500 average. He has five home runs and 17 RBIs during the homestand.

Baby Bomber suspended: Jeff Kennard, a pitcher for the Class A Tampa Yankees, was one of five Minor Leaguers suspended for 15 days for violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program on Friday.

Kennard is 6-1 with a 4.33 ERA in 27 relief appearances for Tampa this season.

On deck: The Yankees and Mets play the second game of the three-game weekend Subway Series in the Bronx, as rookie left-hander Sean Henn takes on veteran southpaw Tom Glavine.