Preview: Mets (13-4) at Yankees (10-7)
Game: 2
Venue: Yankee Stadium
Date: April 25, 2015 4:05 PM EDT
The Subway Series appears to have new life.
After the Yankees - who entered the three-game set in the rare position of underdogs - denied the Mets' attempt to establish a team-record winning streak in the opener, Matt Harvey will try to get them back on track when he opposes CC Sabathia on Saturday in the Bronx.
The Yankees (10-7) had won three in a row and six of seven before Friday, but came in somewhat under the radar due to the Mets' stunning 11-game run. However, the Yankees stole the spotlight with a 6-1 victory behind a pair of two-run homers from Mark Teixeira and Michael Pineda's 7 2-3 innings of one-run ball.
The Yankees scored all their runs in the first three innings off Jacob deGrom en route to their third straight win over their crosstown rivals. For the first time since the start of interleague play in 1997, the teams entered a Subway Series game with each holding at least a share of first place in their divisions, and that will be the case Saturday as well.
The Mets (13-4) had been tied with the 1986 team for the longest win streak in franchise history, but fell victim to the latest strong effort by the Yankees' rotation, which has posted a 2.28 ERA in the past seven games.
"If you have starting pitching that can keep you in every single game like they have been, it just makes the job of the fielders and the batters so much easier," Teixeira said.
Teixeira has four home runs in his last five contests for the Yankees, who are tied for the major league lead with 24.
'It's disappointing because we were on a nice roll,' Mets manager Terry Collins said, 'and I know the Yankees have been playing very well, but we're surprised when Jake doesn't have his good stuff and tonight he didn't have it.'
Harvey (3-0, 3.50 ERA) will try for a repeat of his first career start against the Yankees, as he threw eight innings of one-run ball with 10 strikeouts and no walks in a 2-1 home win May 28, 2013.
The right-hander has lasted six innings in each of his three starts. He hasn't been nearly as dominant in the last two as he was in his season debut, when he didn't give up any runs against Washington. Harvey has allowed seven over the past two outings, giving up four with eight hits in a 7-6 victory over Miami on Sunday while weakened by illness.
Harvey, who's walked one and struck out 24, is now dealing with a sprained left ankle that he plans to wrap heavily.
Sabathia (0-3, 4.35) pitched his best game of the season his last time out, but he'll be trying to avoid losing his first four decisions for the first time in his career. He also dropped the first three in 2008.
If the left-hander performs as well as he did Monday, he'll have a good chance to keep that from happening as he seeks his first win since last April 24. He went eight innings for a complete game and gave up two runs in a 2-1 defeat at Detroit.
Sabathia is 3-1 with a 2.14 ERA in five career starts against the Mets, allowing one or no earned runs in four of them. He hasn't pitched in the Subway Series since 2012.
Teixeira is batting .353 with three homers and six RBIs in a five-game hitting streak against the Mets. Jacoby Ellsbury also homered Friday and has gone 5 for 11 in the past three games.
Game: 2
Venue: Yankee Stadium
Date: April 25, 2015 4:05 PM EDT
The Subway Series appears to have new life.
After the Yankees - who entered the three-game set in the rare position of underdogs - denied the Mets' attempt to establish a team-record winning streak in the opener, Matt Harvey will try to get them back on track when he opposes CC Sabathia on Saturday in the Bronx.
The Yankees (10-7) had won three in a row and six of seven before Friday, but came in somewhat under the radar due to the Mets' stunning 11-game run. However, the Yankees stole the spotlight with a 6-1 victory behind a pair of two-run homers from Mark Teixeira and Michael Pineda's 7 2-3 innings of one-run ball.
The Yankees scored all their runs in the first three innings off Jacob deGrom en route to their third straight win over their crosstown rivals. For the first time since the start of interleague play in 1997, the teams entered a Subway Series game with each holding at least a share of first place in their divisions, and that will be the case Saturday as well.
The Mets (13-4) had been tied with the 1986 team for the longest win streak in franchise history, but fell victim to the latest strong effort by the Yankees' rotation, which has posted a 2.28 ERA in the past seven games.
"If you have starting pitching that can keep you in every single game like they have been, it just makes the job of the fielders and the batters so much easier," Teixeira said.
Teixeira has four home runs in his last five contests for the Yankees, who are tied for the major league lead with 24.
'It's disappointing because we were on a nice roll,' Mets manager Terry Collins said, 'and I know the Yankees have been playing very well, but we're surprised when Jake doesn't have his good stuff and tonight he didn't have it.'
Harvey (3-0, 3.50 ERA) will try for a repeat of his first career start against the Yankees, as he threw eight innings of one-run ball with 10 strikeouts and no walks in a 2-1 home win May 28, 2013.
The right-hander has lasted six innings in each of his three starts. He hasn't been nearly as dominant in the last two as he was in his season debut, when he didn't give up any runs against Washington. Harvey has allowed seven over the past two outings, giving up four with eight hits in a 7-6 victory over Miami on Sunday while weakened by illness.
Harvey, who's walked one and struck out 24, is now dealing with a sprained left ankle that he plans to wrap heavily.
Sabathia (0-3, 4.35) pitched his best game of the season his last time out, but he'll be trying to avoid losing his first four decisions for the first time in his career. He also dropped the first three in 2008.
If the left-hander performs as well as he did Monday, he'll have a good chance to keep that from happening as he seeks his first win since last April 24. He went eight innings for a complete game and gave up two runs in a 2-1 defeat at Detroit.
Sabathia is 3-1 with a 2.14 ERA in five career starts against the Mets, allowing one or no earned runs in four of them. He hasn't pitched in the Subway Series since 2012.
Teixeira is batting .353 with three homers and six RBIs in a five-game hitting streak against the Mets. Jacoby Ellsbury also homered Friday and has gone 5 for 11 in the past three games.