After a long day and night of baseball, the New York Yankees settled for a Subway Series split against the New York Mets. Each squad posted a football score in their respective victories. The pinstripes pounded the ball in the matinee but perhaps most concerning in both contests was the trend of shoddy starting pitching. Not including “opener” starts, Yankee starters have pitched to an abysmal ERA of 5.79 in their last 18 outings. Yikes!
GAME 1
Don’t you just love it when the Yankees toy with the Mets and get their hopes up? An early debacle turned into a convincing 12-5 victory for the pinstripes.
MORALES MET KILLER
The New York Post ran a “where are they now?” story of random players who made their mark in the Subway Series. Kendrys Morales may have added his name to that list. While he played first base with his shoes in cement blocks, Morales recorded three hits on the afternoon.
With Didi Gregorius having reached on a one-out double, Morales provided the pinstripes a 1-0 lead in the second with an RBI-single to left off Zack Wheeler.
THIRD INNING THROWAWAY
New Papa Masahiro Tanaka was far from sharp but did regroup to toss 6.2 frames. The third inning, however, was not pretty.
Amed Rosario reached on a throwing error by Gregorius, which, to be fair, is probably caught by Don Mattingly. Tomas Nido made it first and third. Juan Lagares plated Rosario on an infield single hit to a diving Gregorius. The ensuing batter Jeff McNeil porched a lame first-pitch splitter for a 4-1 Mets lead.
In the home half, the Mets were happy to play equally sloppy. Brett Gardner, who robbed McNeil of a potential triple in the first, set the table with a single to center. DJ LeMahieu reached as Rosario failed to step on second for the forceout. Aaron Hicks grounded into a forceout, advancing Gardner to third. With two down, Gary Sanchez halved the Met lead with a Bermuda Triangle RBI-single to right.
HIGH FIVE!
The Bronx Bombers stormed back in the fourth frame. Morales started the rally with a one-out single to right. What followed was a two-run tater by Gio Urshela to left for the equalizer.
GIO!!!
— Bronx Pinstripes (@BronxPinstripes) June 11, 2019
With two down, LeMahieu reached on a throwing error by Todd Frazier at third and advanced to second. Hicks coaxed a walk. Luke Voit proceeded to crush a bomb through the upright in left, providing the Bronx Bombers with a 7-4 advantage.
The Punisher. pic.twitter.com/NgdpFjM14V
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) June 11, 2019
BINGO BRETT
During the fifth, Morales led the charge with a two-out dunk double to left. Urshela followed with an RBI-single to left. Gardner, who as mentioned robbed a potential triple earlier, hit an RBI-triple of his own to right-center, ending Wheeler’s afternoon.
Looks like Gardy came to play. pic.twitter.com/9kqdjNcHrw
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) June 11, 2019
Just an afternoon jog for Gardy. pic.twitter.com/bjVcCrv5T6
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) June 11, 2019
DOUBLE TROUBLE
After the Mets scratched out a run on a Rosario RBI-single to left in the sixth, the Yankees bounced right back.
Facing Wilmer Font in the seventh, Clint Frazier got it going with a double to right. After Frazier moved to third on a Morales groundout, Urshela doubled home, Frazier.
SANCHEZ SWATS
Placing a nice bow on this one in the eighth was the Yankee backstop. After Voit walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch by Tim Peterson, Sanchez unloaded a tw0-run blast to left, making it 12-5. Sanchez has 20 home runs, hasn’t played 50 games and it’s not even July 1!
GARY SANCHEZ IS A HR-HITTING MACHINE!#YANKSonYES LIVE https://t.co/6jFxnf5Kd9 pic.twitter.com/kMNJsjhkez
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) June 11, 2019
GAME 2
The Yankees fell behind early but this time around the deficit was too much to overcome. Incredibly, perhaps, the Yankees wouldn’t sweep a doubleheader, losing 10-4.
WHACK BACK AT PAX
James Paxton looked helpless in the nightcap. Across ten starts, the lanky lefty has now failed to make it out of the fifth inning eight times and hasn’t made it beyond the fourth frame on five occasions.
I don’t know if he’s still hurt but he wasn’t fooling anybody, yielding six runs in 2.2 innings pitched.
A three-run bomb allowed to Pete Alonso made it 3-0 Mets in the first. After issuing consecutive free passes to Alonso and Frazier in the third, Paxton allowed consecutive RBI-singles to Michael Conforto and Wilson Ramos and a two-out RBI-single to ex-Yank Adeiny Hechavarria, making it 6-0.
CHIP AWAY CREW
Who knew Jason Vargas was good again? The Yankees didn’t hit the soft-tossing lefty with any authority but did manage a rally in the third inning.
LeMahieu singled to set the table. Voit followed with a walk. Sanchez singled to load the bases. Gleyber Torres followed with an RBI-single. Consecutive RBI groundouts by Frazier and Urshela cut the Mets advantage in half.
NO CHANCE
Unfortunately, Chance Adams wouldn’t fare much better and couldn’t hold it there.
In the fourth, the Mets took advantage of an Urshela error on a McNeil popup, as J.D. Davis porched a two-run tater.
During the fifth, Carlos Gomez took Adams yard to right-center.
The Mets would tack on another run in the ninth after Rosario doubled home a run off Stephen Tarpley.
THE STREAK LIVES
In the Yankees half of the ninth, Gardner smacked a solo shot to right off Drew Gagnon. The home run was significant in that it extended the Bronx Bombers’ streak of consecutive games with a home run to 15 consecutive contests. The streak is tied for fifth longest in club history.
ON DECK
At 41-25, the Yankees travel to Chicago to take on the Chicago White Sox in a four-game series starting Thursday evening.
Pitching probables, J.A. Happ vs. TBD, TBD vs. TBD, TBD vs. TBD, TBD vs. TBD.
