Mets and Yankees find wins hard to secure
The Mets’ 5-3 victory over their National League East rival Atlanta Braves on Monday night was just their third win in the previous eight games. They began a three-game series on the road on Tuesday night versus the Detroit Tigers with a record of 16-13. The second-place Mets were three games behind the 19-10 first-place Braves in the NL East. They dropped the opener of Monday’s day-night against Atlanta 9-8.
Due to heavy rain this past weekend, the Mets’ scheduled games against the Braves on Saturday and Sunday were canceled. Their current struggles are the result of underwhelming starting pitching and inadequate production from players such as outfielders Mark Canha and Starling Marte. Meanwhile, the Mets’ highly touted rookies, Brett Baty and Francisco Alvarez, are trying to find their way in the big leagues.
In Monday’s loss, Denyi Reyes started Game 1 for the Mets and pitched only one inning after giving up five earned runs—three on a home run by Braves catcher Sean Murphy. The Mets’ bullpen tried to keep the team in the game but in the top of the seventh, reliever Jeff Brigham gave up Murphy’s second three-run homer, which extended the Braves lead 9-5. The Mets went on to win the nightcap as starter Tylor Megill did just enough, allowing four hits and three earned runs in 5.2 innings.
After the game, good news came when it was announced that 2022 AL Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander will make his Mets debut tonight versus the Tigers, the team with which he broke into Major League Baseball in 2005 after being drafted by the Tigers with the second overall pick in 2004. Starter Max Scherzer was scheduled to return last night after serving a 10-game suspension for having what was deemed an illegal substance on his glove in his last start on April 19.
The Mets will come back to Citi Field this weekend to host the Colorado Rockies for three games and travel to Cincinnati to face the Reds next Tuesday through Thursday.
The Yankees lost three out of four games against the Texas Rangers on the road last Thursday through Sunday, where they were outscored 24-8, the most lopsided coming on Sunday afternoon as starter Nestor Cortes delivered his worst start of his Yankee career. The 2022 All-Star went 4.2 innings, surrendering seven runs, including three home runs in a 15-2 bashing.
The Yankees began a three-game series Monday in the Bronx, playing the Cleveland Guardians with a 3-2 defeat—their fourth in a row. Righty Domingo German was stellar, pitching an 8.1 inning gem, holding the Guardians to one run on two hits. But reliever Clay Holmes couldn’t hold the 2-0 advantage and Cleveland scored three runs in the top of the ninth.
On the same day, as if being in last place in the AL East wasn’t bad enough, the Yankees placed last year’s American League MVP Aaron Judge on the 10-day injured list due to a hip strain. Conversely, the team activated outfielder Harrison Bader. The 28-year-old Bronxville (Westchester County) native injured his left oblique in spring training on March 8 and had been recovering since.
The Yankees went into Tuesday night’s game with a record of 15-15.
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