To say things are going on different tracks for the Mets and Yankees was made more obvious after two ball games at Citi Field. Two evenings of futility for the struggling Yankees. On the other side two ball games for the resurgent Mets who reached the .500 mark (39-39) for the first time since May 10.
Weeks prior, the Mets were reeling as they stood 11 games under .500. The Yankees were on a record pace to a possible 110 game winning season. Months later the Mets are no longer dead and buried or talking about selling Pete Alonso or half of what was an underachieving roster.
The Yankees are not buried thanks to their marvelous start, but they would be five or six games behind the Orioles in the AL East if the Birds had not gone into a skid of late.
After Wednesday night, with the spotlight on the New York baseball teams, the Mets are a better team and their counterparts from the Bronx don’t resemble that first place rhythm of being unbeatable. The Yankees once had the best record in baseball with a pitching staff that led the league in ERA, while their lineup has become non productive.
After their 12-2 win over the Yankees, the Mets recorded their 15th win in 19 games, something that would not have been possible a month ago. Ask me a month ago, I would’ve said the Yankees would expose the anemic Mets offense and pitching that was at the bottom.
Realize also, baseball is a long season of the good and bad streaks. But the Yankees with injuries to Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton, flaws are being exposed. And for the second consecutive night their starting pitching and bullpen contributed to the struggles. The past two nights the Mets hit seven home runs, scored 21 runs, and compiled 24 hits.
It wasn’t going to be this way a month ago. But things have changed and rapidly, something that Yankees manager Aaron Boone has to answer with gloom and doom in front of him. Something Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said was a matter of time, believing all the time his lineup was capable even as his starters and his bullpen continued to struggle.
But for the second consecutive night, Boone’s Yankees loaded the bases in the first inning and failed to score. And for the second consecutive night, Francisco Lindor led off with the double, although he failed to score this time.
The resurgence has been keyed by Lindor moving to the leadoff spot. Brandon Nimmo, catcher Francisco Alvarez, rookie Mark Vientos, Harrison Bader and J.D. Martinez (.859 OPS) have combined to lengthen a lineup that once looked putrid. Other factors played key roles for the Mets including a team meeting during their May swoon and the lineup changes made by Mendoza.
The Yankees are not resembling anything like they appeared to be World Series bound in October as they have lost four consecutive series and eight of 10 games. With the exception of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, the Yankees lineup is anemic, Judge hit his MLB leading 30th home run in the 6th inning, as the Yankees tried to comeback against a Mets bullpen that is taxed and without closer Edwin Diaz who is serving an automatic 10-game suspension after he was found to have sticky stuff on his pitching hand this past Sunday night.
I posed a question to a highly reputed scout at Citi Field. What has gone wrong with the Yankees? Why has starter Carlos Rodon reverted to throwing the home run ball and the fastball not having that confidence as it did? Why has rookie Luis Gil (9-3) hardly resembled the All-Star and early talk of AL Cy Young Award winner? Yankees ace Gerrit Cole and Gil on back-to-back nights put their team behind early with the Mets using their revived home run power.
“It’s baseball and part of the game and long season,” he said. “But the Yankees are better than this and Cash (GM Brian Cashman) will have an active trade deadline. The Mets have quality hitters and a lineup that can do what they have done.”
Enough for the Mets to sneak back into the NL Wild Card race as they stand 1.5 games behind the Padres for the third spot. The Yankees are trying to hold off a talented Orioles team who are also decimated with injuries to their starting rotation.
But this Subway Series showed who was the better team. It showed that Boone won’t tolerate being unhappy with the play of Gleyber Torres who is in a horrible slump that typifies the rest of the Yankees bottom half of the lineup.
“It’s been a grind, it’s been a struggle,” the manager said about a decision to sit Torres who committed a key error Tuesday night, adding to his AL lead and also failing to run out a ground ball in the eighth inning.
Boone said it was time for Torres to reset, for whatever that means. But it could work because during the season of disaster last year, said by Cashman and owner Hal Steinbrenner, Torres was the Yankees consistent hitter, though making a share of errors in the infield.
“You don’t like getting your teeth kicked in,” said Boone. “It’s been a crappy two weeks for us. But it’s part of it. We know it’s coming. Adversity’s going to hit you. We got hit with a little bit right now.”
But not for Mendoza and the Mets as they get a day off and host the revived and hot Houston Astros for three this weekend. Lindor said it felt good to be on the right track and no pun intended about the Subway Series.
“It’s a good feeling now,” said Mendoza, the rookie manager who was the bench coach during a span of four years for Boone. “Credit to that group right there. Good players, good coaches, and they’re having fun.”
Yeah, it’s a long season but certainly now two New York baseball teams on a different track and how rapidly it changed.
Rich Mancuso: X (Formerly Twitter) @Ring786 Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso
The post Subway Series on Different Tracks appeared first on NY Sports Day.
