Series Preview: Mets, Yankees Play Three-Game Series

At Citi Field this weekend, the Mets and Yankees will meet with both teams in a slump. But despite their respective losing streaks, both teams remain in the playoff race and need to pile wins together quickly to find themselves playing October baseball.

But away from the standings, away from the diamond, this series carries extra meaning: New York’s two baseball teams will play against each other 20 years to the day of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Saturday’s game will feature a first pitch thrown by Bobby Valentine to Joe Torre. These men were the managers of the Mets and Yankees during the 2001 season, adding meaning to the pregame ceremonies this weekend.

Whenever the Mets and Yankees face each other, the ballpark always is filled to capacity. But this series brings extra significance that goes way beyond the game being played between the foul poles. It will be a weekend full of emotion, full of remembrance. But when 7:10 p.m. hits on Friday, the game will begin. And eventually, one team must be victorious. Victories and New York baseball have not paired well lately though.

After winning 13 consecutive games in mid/late August, the Yankees have since dropped 10 of their past 12 games, including losing their last six. Most recently, the Yankees were swept in The Bronx in a four-game set by the Blue Jays. The Yankees lineup managed to score just eight total runs in a very disappointing series that has allowed Toronto to crawl all the way back into the AL Wild Card picture.

In Queens, things aren’t looking much better. Entering a 14-game stretch in which the team would be facing the lowly Marlins and Nationals, the Mets started out on a six-game winning streak. Encouraging! But as the Mets tend to do, disappointment ensued. Dropping three of their final five games in that Marlins/Nationals span has not helped their playoff chances. The Mets sit five games behind the Braves in the NL East with 21 games remaining. Does this team have one final run in them? If so, the offense needs to improve. Against the Nats, the team exploded for outputs of 11 and 13 games in two of their wins. But against the Marlins, the Mets scored a mere three runs combined over their final two games, both losses.

Friday, September 10, 2021: RHP Tylor Megill (2-4, 4,20 ERA) vs. LHP Jordan Montgomery (5-5, 3.47 ERA)

Tylor Megill is facing an AL ballclub for the first time since mid-July, when he earned his first career victory against the Blue Jays. After a tough August (6.44 ERA), Megill didn’t fare much better in his most recent start. Pitching all six innings in the Mets 4-3 loss in D.C., Megill allowed seven hits and four runs. Despite the loss, Megill pitching every inning was huge for the Mets as it allowed the bullpen an offday after a taxing game the day earlier. He also tied a career-high with 8 strikeouts against the Nats.

Since late July, Jordan Montgomery has been incredibly difficult to score against. In seven starts since July 22, Montgomery has posted a 1.50 ERA. Given the Yankees struggles laely, it’s not all surprising to know that Montgomery has earned the victory in just two of these seven starts. In all but one of these starts, Montgomery has allowed one or fewer runs. The last time he earned the win was against another NL East team, on August 23 in Atlanta. In this start, Montgomery pitched five innings, allowing two hits, four walks, and one run.

Saturday, September 11, 2021: RHP Taijuan Walker (7-9, 4.15 ERA) vs. RHP Corey Kluber (4-3, 3.69 ERA)

In his latest start, Taijuan Walker allowed his most earned runs in a game since July 24. Last week in D.C., Walker allowed six runs on six hits, walking three batters and serving up two home runs. It was also the first time Walker had failed to pitch at least five innings since that July 24 loss to Toronto. After being one of the Mets best pitchers through the first-half of the season, his post-All-Star Game ERA has ballooned to an unthinkable 7.36. This is almost five runs higher than his ERA number from before his mid-summer classic appearance in Denver. It might be cliche to say, but it literally has been a tale of two seasons for Walker.

After not pitching since May 25, Corey Kluber finally returned to a major league mound on August 30. In his first start for the Yankees in over three months, Kluber allowed five runs on five hits and two walks in four innings in Anaheim. In his latest start, Kluber allowed four hits and two runs over 3 2/3 innings against the Orioles. He has not thrown more than 78 pitches in a big league since returning from injury, so this might be another bullpen game for the Yankees if Kluber only pitches around four innings. It might seem like so long ago, but don’t forget that Kluber threw a no-hitter on May 19, striking out nine Texas Ranger batters in joining the history books.

Sunday, September 12, 2021: RHP Carlos Carrasco (1-2, 5.88 ERA) vs. TBD (0-0, -.– ERA)

In his eighth start wearing the blue and orange, Carlos Carrasco finally earned his first victory as a Met on September 7 in Miami. In one of his better starts of the season, Carrasco pitched five innings, allowing seven hits, four runs (only one earned run), while walking a batter and striking out four. While it wasn’t complete dominance on Carrasco’s end, it was enough to earn the victory as the Mets offense put up nine runs in the game. Carrasco, who has played most of his career in the American League, has pitched 12 career games against the Yankees. In 55 2/3 innings, he holds a 4.04 ERA with a 5-5 win-loss record.

The Yankees have yet to announce a starter for Sunday’s game.

Prediction

In a must-win series for both teams, the Mets need it more, as they remain firmly out of the playoff picture. The Yankees, despite their recent struggles, still lead the second AL Wild Card spot by a half game over the Blue Jays. But the Mets need wins, plus help, just to get within a few games of a playoff spot. Backed by a stadium of 40,000 cheering fans (understandably many whom will be Yankee fans though), the Mets sweep the Yankees. Skeptics of this prediction may point to the Mets own inability to win (*cough* Marlins series* cough*) against weaker opponents, but at least the Mets played Miami close, with their two losses coming by just one run apiece. The Yankees losses, however, never even seemed to be close. They lost each of their four games against the Blue Jays by multiple runs, and recently lost two games at home to the Orioles.

The Mets were finally heating up before two heartbreaking losses in South Beach. But I truly believe that this was just a bump in the road. With a rejuvenated approach at the plate, the Mets extend the Yankees losing streak to nine games, while the Mets gain at least a game in the standings by virtue of a Braves loss or two against those same Marlins.