Well that was lackluster.
One night after an exciting back-and-forth game where the Yankees came out on top, New York (NL) managed to draw a split at the Citi Field portion of the Subway Series with a 7-1 victory. Jacob deGrom absolutely dominated the Yankees by throwing seven shutout innings and even contributing a little on offense.
Tuesday was deGrom’s third start in his last four where he has thrown at least seven scoreless.
Masahiro Tanaka was good, but not great, before completely unraveling in the seventh inning. One of the only players the Yankees did not sell before the non-waiver trade deadline, Tanaka saw his ERA rise from 3.16 to 3.46.
The Yankees notched seven hits Monday, good for six runs. Tuesday, they tacked on six hits but only scored once. Baseball, man.
THE PLAY: De Agony of De Aza (+.240 WPA)
Alejandro de Aza is not known for his power. In fact, through the first three months of the season, de Aza had struggled mightily with many Mets fans calling for his release.
However, in July de Aza had a bit of a resurgence. Since June 30 he has slashed .351/.500/.568, which is one of the seven best marks in baseball. His home run for the Mets in the third inning ended up being all the offense they would need.
TOP PERFORMERS
Yankees — Mark Teixeira: 1-for-2, 2B, 2 BBs
Mets — Jacob deGrom: 7 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 1 BB, 8 K; 2-for-3, 1 R
NOTES
— deGrom is the first opposing pitcher to get two hits against the Yankees since Former Former Met Jon Niese accomplished the feat on May 27, 2013. He is the first opposing pitcher with two hits and a run scored since Ken Brett of Milwaukee in 1972.
— The post-No Runs DMC era hit its first snag Tuesday night. Richard Bleier came in to relieve Masahiro Tanaka in the seventh inning and allowed both inherited runners to score. Tanaka ended up being responsible for all seven Mets runs.
— Alex Rodriguez pinch hit in the top of the ninth for Aaron Hicks, just his seventh at-bat since July 22. A-Rod flew out to right fielder Jay Bruce to end the game.
THE HIGHLIGHT: Didi says enough of diPuns (but just one more)
The Yankees were on the verge of getting shut out for the first time since July 6 against the White Sox, but Didi Gregorius had other plans. Leading off the top of the ninth against Former Former Met Jon Niese, Gregorius belted a solo home run to cut the Mets’ lead to 7-1. The blast was Didi’s 12th of the season.
UP NEXT
The Subway Series moves to the Bronx for the second part of the late-season home-and-home. Steven Matz (8-7, 3.35 ERA) will take the hill for the Mets and will be opposed by everyone’s favorite pitcher, T.B. Determined (later announced as Chad Green).
Photo: Anthony Grupposo / USA Today Sports