NFL
By: Billy Lewis
The New York Yankees are set to battle the New York Mets in the first installment of the 2023 Subway Series. Preseason both New York teams had their eyes set on deep October runs. It should have been an exciting series where fans could watch Aaron Judge and Pete Alonso, two of the game’s most prolific home run hitters, battle it out for long ball king of New York.
Unfortunately, both stars are hurt and both teams are stumbling into this first meeting. Though the pitching matchups sound good on paper, the Yankees have an opportunity to come out of their offensive woes.
Tuesday’s game should see Max Scherzer vs. Luis Severino and Wednesday gets Justin Verlander vs. Gerrit Cole. While both Scherzer and Verlander have been susceptible to slow starts, the Yankees are going to have to work their pitch counts and get to the bullpen.
The Mets have the fifth-worst team era at 4.69. Last year the Mets had the imposing figure of Edwin Diaz ready to close the door in the ninth inning. Diaz’s preseason injury during the World Baseball Classic has left the Mets with a gap in the pen.
Yankees’ old friend, David Robertson, has taken over the closer role for the Mets. While he has done a fine job, their bullpen can still be a question mark.
The Yankees have struggled since Aaron Judge’s injury. They are only scoring 3 runs per game since June 4 while going 3-4 in the seven games.
Yankees’ Chance to Make Noise
The Mets on the other hand are giving up 7 runs per game and have gone 1-6 since June 4th. While the Yankees won’t see Aaron Judge for the foreseeable future, they do have a chance to get one reinforcement back in Harrison Bader.
Harrison Bader “does look like he’s getting really close” to game action, Aaron Boone said. Still TBD if that would be in the Majors or a Minor League rehab assignment, but Boone didn’t rule out Tuesday/Wednesday at Mets.
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) June 11, 2023
Though there are no guarantees about Bader returning against the Mets, it’s a good sign that he seems close to returning to the lineup. Two other players the Yankees can really use to wake up are Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo. Since returning from the IL in Los Angeles, Stanton is only 3-21 with a home run.
Stanton has loved hitting in Citi Field throughout his career. From beginning his career with the Marlins, and now with the Yankees, Stanton has been very comfortable in Queens.
Meanwhile, Rizzo has struggled mightily since he left the May 28th game against the Padres. Since Fernando Tatis Jr. ran into Rizzo’s neck, Rizzo is a putrid 1-30. The Yankees are gonna need these two to pick up the slack, not to mention Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu, until Judge is healthy again.
A struggling Mets’ pitching staff will hopefully be exactly what the doctor ordered. The Yankees are coming off an off day Monday, and then have an off day Tuesday after this brief two-game series. That being said there is no reason that Stanton should not be in the lineup both days and Aaron Boone should not have to play with rest roulette, the best 10 guys should be out on the field for the Bombers.
Momentum can be a funny thing in baseball, as the saying goes “Momentum is only as good as the next day’s starting pitcher.” If the Yankees get their bats alive in Queens, it should go a long way as they ship it up to Boston for another weekend series.
