Despite the Yankees offense getting shutdown by Matt Harvey on Saturday, the boys in the Bronx were able to clinch a series victory over the Mets with a 6-4 win Sunday night. Alex Rodriguez lead the Yankees offense with a solo home run to right-center field in the first inning. The Yankees broke out in the second inning plating four runs on five hits (four of which were doubles) in the frame. The Yankees needed that kind of offensive performance on a night where the starting pitching and defense weren’t cooperating. Nathan Eovaldi allowed four earned runs in just 4 and 1/3 innings and Chase Headley and Stephen Drew each made throwing errors.
The Mets, of course, had an even rougher go of it on the mound and in the field as Jonathan Niese allowed six runs and the Mets committed four errors in the field. The worst of the Mets’ Sunday night fielding follies was likely this throwing attempt by shortstop Wilmer Flores on what should’ve been an easy double play.
Key Moment: Eovaldi clearly wasn’t as effective as he was in his last start against Detroit and after a single and throwing error by Headley put Juan Lagares at second base with one out in the fifth inning, Joe Girardi decided to go to the bullpen. He brought in Chase Shreve to face the left-handed Lucas Duda. Shreve then hit Duda with the first pitch he threw. Now there were men on first and second and Shreve would have to face right-handed hitting Michael Cuddyer.
In what was still a one-run game at the time, this was a big double play. Shreve’s ERA is 1.17 and he continues to impress out of the Yankees pen.
Shreve walked Daniel Murphy to start the sixth inning and Girardi went to Chris Martin. From that point on, the only Met to reach base was Cuddyer who took first on a swinging strikeout on a pitch in the dirt that Brian McCann couldn’t block in the eighth inning. Martin, Justin Wilson, Dellin Betances, and Andrew Miller combined for four innings with no hits or walks and four strikeouts. The bullpen continues to be a major strength for the club as many expected coming into the season.
Up Next: The Yankees begin a three game series with Tampa Bay in the Bronx Monday. The Rays enter play with the same record as the Yankees (11-8) despite all the injuries they’ve dealt with already this season. The scheduled starters are Nathan Karns for Tampa Bay and Adam Warren for New York. The Yankees have won five of the last six games.