The Subway Series Opens The Second Half Of The Season As The Yankees Host The Mets
Last month the Yankees visited Queens to take on the Mets where they took two out of three from their city rivals.
To open up the second half of the season though it's the Mets traveling by subway to make the trip to the Bronx to take on the Yankees for a three -game series starting Friday.
The team from the Bronx comes into the game against the Mets with a record of 62-33 and is second in the American League East "according to http://www.espn.com/mlb/team/_/name/nyy/new-york-yankees while the team from Queens comes into the game with a record of 39-55 and is fourth in the National League East. "according to http://www.espn.com/mlb/team/_/name/nym/new-york-mets
Right -hander Domingo German will get the start for the Yankees. He comes into the opener against the Mets with a record of 2-5 with a 5.49 earn run average. "according to http://m.mlb.com/player/593334/domingo-german German will open the second half for the Bombers, having stumbled in his final start before the break when the Indians peppered him for six runs in four innings. The rookie hurler is seeking his first victory since June 19."according to http://mlb.mlb.com/news/probable_pitchers/index.jsp?c_id=nyy He will oppose Mets right -hander Noah Syndergaard who comes into the opener with a record of 5-1 with a 2.97 earn run average. "according to http://m.mlb.com/player/592789/noah-syndergaard Syndergaard’s seven-week stay on the disabled list ended when he fired five innings of one-run ball last Friday against the Nationals. Critical for Syndergaard will be proving he can stay healthy enough to pitch every five days from here on out."according to http://mlb.mlb.com/news/probable_pitchers/index.jsp?c_id=nyy
Both New York teams come into the second half of the season coming off losses to end the first half.
The team from the Bronx comes into the game against the Mets with a record of 62-33 and are second in the American League East. "according to http://www.espn.com/mlb/team/_/name/nyy/new-york-yankees The Mets meanwhile come into the game against the Yankees with a record of 39-55 and are fourth in the National League East. "according to http://www.espn.com/mlb/team/_/name/nym/new-york-mets
As for the Yankees previous game, they lost to Cleveland.
The Yankees' dominant bullpen has been responsible to a large degree for their first-half success, but as they prepared to scatter for the All-Star break, a lapse by the relief crew let them down. Michael Brantley launched a tiebreaking homer off Chad Green in a noisy eighth inning, sending the Yanks to a 5-2 loss to the Indians on Sunday at Progressive Field. "according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-lose-first-half-finale-against-indians/c-285949302
New York's bullpen combined to fire 14 1/3 scoreless innings over its previous four contests entering Sunday's affair, and Green extended the string as he helped Masahiro Tanaka out of a jam in the seventh. That success ended in the eighth, as Green left a fastball up that Brantley slugged over the right-field wall for his 12th homer of the season."according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-lose-first-half-finale-against-indians/c-285949302
"It was what I was trying to do, but I thought the ball caught too much of the plate," Green said. "It came back over the plate and he put a good swing on it. Right there, I've got to make a better pitch." "according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-lose-first-half-finale-against-indians/c-285949302
Yan Gomes added a sacrifice fly later in the frame, with Jose Ramirez sliding home just ahead of a strong throw from right fielder Giancarlo Stanton, and the Indians tacked on a third run on a wild pitch. Carlos Carrasco picked up the victory in relief, having tossed a scoreless eighth inning in his first appearance out of the bullpen since 2014. "according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-lose-first-half-finale-against-indians/c-285949302
The Yankees ended their first half at 62-33 (.653), the highest winning percentage entering the All-Star break by a team not in first place in the Divisional Era (since 1969). Yet they fell another game behind the sizzling Red Sox, who posted a 5-2 win over the Blue Jays to secure their 12th victory in 13 games. The Bombers trail Boston by 4 1/2 games in the American League East. "according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-lose-first-half-finale-against-indians/c-285949302
"Ultimately, we have to be better if we want to win the division and get to where we want to be, which is to win the World Series," Brett Gardner said. "I'm pleased with the way that we played in the first half, but I'm not pleased that we're not in first place in the division. We've got some work to do." "according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-lose-first-half-finale-against-indians/c-285949302
The Yankees were limited to two runs and seven hits over seven innings by All-Star right-hander Trevor Bauer. Gardner singled, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on Aaron Hicks' single to open the scoring in the third inning, and Neil Walker doubled the Bombers' lead with his third home run of the season in the fourth. It was the first homer Bauer permitted since June 2. "according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-lose-first-half-finale-against-indians/c-285949302
Cleveland answered against Tanaka in the home half of the fourth, as Brantley worked a leadoff walk and Edwin Encarnacion connected for a two-run homer, his 22nd. It was the 18th home run permitted in 15 starts by Tanaka, who scattered six hits over 6 1/3 innings, walking one and striking out five in what manager Aaron Boone called a "strong, encouraging outing." "according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-lose-first-half-finale-against-indians/c-285949302
Making his second start since returning from the disabled list, Tanaka had retired nine of the first 10 men he faced, then settled back in after Encarnacion's homer to pitch into the seventh inning. Tanaka made an excellent play by firing to second base for an out on a Roberto Perez bunt to halt a budding Cleveland rally, completing the afternoon at 77 pitches."according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-lose-first-half-finale-against-indians/c-285949302
"I think the team has been playing really well," Tanaka said through an interpreter. "As for me, I feel like I haven't been able to pitch the way that I really want to. It's important for me to keep on fighting and try to get my performance to the level that I had similar to today." "according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-lose-first-half-finale-against-indians/c-285949302
SOUND SMART
The Yankees went 5-2 in the season series against the Indians, and they are 13-4 against the AL Central. New York has won the season series over Cleveland in seven of the last 10 campaigns, dating back to 2009. "according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-lose-first-half-finale-against-indians/c-285949302
YOU GOTTA SEE THIS
Stanton thought that he had a chance at Brantley's eighth-inning homer, which carried over the leaping right fielder and made it into the seating area. Brantley leads the Majors with 65 hits at home this season. "according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-lose-first-half-finale-against-indians/c-285949302
"The replay was pretty quick, but I think I was pretty close," Stanton said. "Within a foot, I'd guess. The reaction is, that's a big part of the game, either way. You don't want that to happen with six outs left for us." "according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-lose-first-half-finale-against-indians/c-285949302
As for the Mets previous game, They lost to Washington.
Given their expectations at the start of this season, the Mets might have expected to ship off three or four players to the All-Star Game in Washington, D.C., while the rest traveled home, enjoyed a few days of rest and reported back to work fresh for a second-half pennant push. "according to https://www.mlb.com/mets/news/corey-oswalt-terrific-but-mets-fall-to-nats/c-285946728
Such imaginings have been dead for weeks. The reality is that the Mets, who dropped a 6-1 game to the Nationals on Sunday to close out their first half, have fewer wins than any team in the National League. Some of those who traveled home are bound to be traded in the coming weeks, as the club decides which of them can be a part of their next winning team. "according to https://www.mlb.com/mets/news/corey-oswalt-terrific-but-mets-fall-to-nats/c-285946728
"We have to come out and play the game in a better way," manager Mickey Callaway said of the Mets' second half, which begins Friday against the Yankees.
Consider the rest of the season an audition, then, for players such as Corey Oswalt, who needed just 59 pitches to deliver five innings of one-run ball at Citi Field. Consider them important reps for folks like Michael Conforto, who scored the Mets' only run off Washington starter Jeremy Hellickson, and Anthony Swarzak, who walked the only two batters he faced to spark the Nationals' winning rally. "according to https://www.mlb.com/mets/news/corey-oswalt-terrific-but-mets-fall-to-nats/c-285946728
Two batters after Swarzak issued those free passes, pinch-hitter Daniel Murphy hit a two-run single off Tim Peterson to give the Nationals the lead, bloating Swarzak's ERA to 7.47. He is under contract for next season, and, like Oswalt and Conforto, is a sure bet to be part of the team. "according to https://www.mlb.com/mets/news/corey-oswalt-terrific-but-mets-fall-to-nats/c-285946728
The Mets' bullpen meltdown did not end there. Relieving Peterson, Jerry Blevins hit the first two batters he faced with pitches to force in a run. Trea Turner followed with a two-run single to provide the final margin, increasing New York's bullpen ERA to 4.73 -- fifth-worst in the Majors."according to https://www.mlb.com/mets/news/corey-oswalt-terrific-but-mets-fall-to-nats/c-285946728
"Everybody needs a break," Swarzak said. "It's a long season and I think that from talking to other guys, everybody's looking forward to it. Nobody's giving up on each other. Everyone's going to continue to work hard. And we're going to have better results in the second half. We will." "according to https://www.mlb.com/mets/news/corey-oswalt-terrific-but-mets-fall-to-nats/c-285946728
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
An abrupt end for Oswalt: After allowing his lone run on a second-inning fielder's choice, Oswalt grew stronger, retiring 10 straight Nationals to end his afternoon. Although Oswalt had thrown merely 59 pitches, Callaway chose to replace him with a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the fifth, seeking to jumpstart an offense doing little against Hellickson. That rally stalled without a run, however, leaving the Mets to cobble together four innings from their bullpen. "according to https://www.mlb.com/mets/news/corey-oswalt-terrific-but-mets-fall-to-nats/c-285946728
"Really, it just came down to us trying to score some runs," Callaway said. "Hits were hard to come by at that point, so we were just doing everything we could to score a run there." "according to https://www.mlb.com/mets/news/corey-oswalt-terrific-but-mets-fall-to-nats/c-285946728
SOUND SMART
The Mets' 55 losses are their highest total before the All-Star break since 1993, when they finished the first half 27-60. That team went on to become one of six in Mets history to lose 100-plus games."according to https://www.mlb.com/mets/news/corey-oswalt-terrific-but-mets-fall-to-nats/c-285946728
FROM THE TRAINER'S ROOM
Second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera's right ring finger swelled up after he attempted to barehand an errant Swarzak pickoff throw during the seventh inning. Cabrera came out of the game an inning later and underwent X-rays, which were negative. He expects to be fine by the time the Mets open the second half. "according to https://www.mlb.com/mets/news/corey-oswalt-terrific-but-mets-fall-to-nats/c-285946728
I'm good," Cabrera said. "It's a little sore but it's not broken. That's good news for me." "according to https://www.mlb.com/mets/news/corey-oswalt-terrific-but-mets-fall-to-nats/c-285946728
HE SAID IT
"We've talked to them all. We've said, 'Go have a good break, come back and let's focus on the things we have to do to win." -- Callaway, on his message to the Mets "according to https://www.mlb.com/mets/news/corey-oswalt-terrific-but-mets-fall-to-nats/c-285946728
First pitch is set for 7:05pm from Yankee Stadium. The game will be televised on Major League Baseball and Yes "according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/schedule/2018-07