Once again a Mets pitcher dominated a depleted Yankees lineup en route to their fourth straight victory over the crosstown Yankees. Dillon Gee struck out 12 and allowed just one run over seven and a third innings pitched as the Mets won 3-1.
Yankees starter Vidal Nuno was solid again, giving up just two runs over six innings. A second inning two run homer from Marlon Byrd was his only blemish, a mistake that was enough to stick Nuno with the loss. This is likely Nuno’s final start for some time, as Andy Pettitte is set to return and start in his place on Monday against Cleveland.
The Yankees lineup was once again listless, leaving men on base and striking out at will. The Yankees were 0-5 with runners in scoring position, leaving multiple men on base in the first two innings. For the Yankees this is a point in the season where there miraculous start in the face of massive injuries problems may have come to a grinding fault. The replacement players no longer seem capable of carrying their strong starts as the averages simply balance out. Luckily they are expecting some good news on the injury front as general manager Brian Cashman said he expects both Kevin Youkilis and Mark Teixeira back in the lineup Friday night.
This comes at a good time as the Yankees will host the Boston Red Sox in a three game set this weekend, currently sitting two games behind the Sox for first place. The Mets meanwhile have a chance to really build on this momentum as they head to Miami to take on the last place Marlns for four games. The Mets will try to push this momentum through the weekend and into a big series on the road next week in Washington DC.
While much has not gone right for the Mets this year, they have at least gained the city wide bragging rights for this year. Now the test is if they can turn this into a sustained run and get back into the playoff race. As with these last four games, the burden will have to fall on the pitching.
By Sam Jackson