Series Preview: The Subway Series Begins

After an uninspiring display in Pittsburgh over the weekend where they lost two out of three games against the Pirates, the New York Mets (31-35) are heading back home for two games against the crosstown rival New York Yankees (38-29). These two games at Citi Field will mark the start of the Subway Series that will eventually conclude with another two games in Yankee Stadium in July.

Entering this series, the Mets have struggled mightily, losing eight out of their last nine games. These struggles have mainly been characterized by the inability of the pitching and hitting to operate at a high level at the same time. When the pitchers are shutting the other team down, the Mets’ offense has been anemic. On the other hand, the Mets have experienced games where they see an abundance of runs, only to be met with more from the opposition. The recent injury to first baseman Pete Alonso will certainly compromise their offensive ability going forward, so it is important for the depth pieces to step up this week.

Things have not exactly been great for the Yankees either. Over the weekend, they lost two out of their three games against the Boston Red Sox. Prior to that, they suffered the same fate against the Chicago White Sox. The main issue for the Yankees in this stretch has been a lack of offensive production in the absence of slugger Aaron Judge. Namely, rookie shortstop Anthony Volpe has struggled mightily in recent play with a batting line of .133/.152/.267 in his last 15 games.

Both teams could use this series to cover ground in their respective divisional races. While they are both missing their premier sluggers, they will have to rely on their depth to get them through these two pivotal games.

Tuesday, June 13, 2023: RHP Luis Severino (0-1, 5.75 ERA) vs. RHP Max Scherzer (5-2, 3.71 ERA)

Luis Severino will be opening this series for the Yankees. His season started later than usual this year due to an injury that sidelined him for a few months. Since his return, he has seen mixed results but has been plagued by the long ball. In his last two starts, he has allowed a combined six home runs in nine innings pitched. Although the Mets will be without their leading home run hitter Pete Alonso, Severino will have to worry about other Mets sluggers who are able to blast home runs such as Francisco Álvarez and Francisco Lindor. In fact, Lindor is 5-for-14 in his career against Severino with a home run. However, Severino’s track record against the Mets favors the right-hander, as he has a 2.75 ERA against the club between four appearances.

Max Scherzer will begin the series for the Mets on Tuesday night. Despite stringing together a number of strong performances upon his return from suspension, he fell flat of expectations against the Braves last week. In 5 2/3 innings pitched, he allowed five earned runs with 10 strikeouts. While the strikeouts were high, the abundance of earned runs negated any impact they had on the game. Scherzer has appeared in two starts against the Yankees in his Mets career, and has pitched well in 13 2/3 innings with four earned runs allowed and nine strikeouts.

Wednesday, June 14, 2023: RHP Gerrit Cole (7-1, 2.84 ERA) vs. RHP Justin Verlander (2-3, 4.85 ERA)

Gerrit Cole will continue the strong display of pitching for the Yankees on Wednesday. As indicated by his numbers, Cole has been his usual dominant self to begin the season, with the exception of a few rocky starts. In his last start, he tossed six innings and struck out as many batters while allowing two runs against the Red Sox. Despite Cole’s strong performance, he did struggle in his only start against the Mets as a Yankee when he pitched 3 1/3 innings while allowing four earned runs and striking out six batters.

Justin Verlander will be in line to pitch against Cole in the final game of this series. Like Scherzer, Verlander struggled against the Braves in three innings pitched with four earned runs allowed. Beyond that, Verlander has been streaky with on and off performances throughout his brief Mets career. That said, they are paying him a large amount to step up in big games, and this Subway Series matchup certainly qualifies. Since he pitched in the American League for the majority of his career, Verlander has seen the Yankees many times. In 23 starts against the team, Verlander is 9-7 with a 3.44 ERA.