New York – Maybe it is the adrenalin of the New York Mets playing the cross-town Yankees, or the importance of winning inter-league games. Whatever it is, the Mets did something against the Yankees they have not accomplished so far this season scoring all of their runs on two out hits Saturday evening.
The Yankees trailed all game, losing 5-3, and the Mets evened the first installment of the 2010 Subway Series a game apiece. The rubber game is Sunday evening with CC Sabathia taking the mound for the Yankees opposing the Mets Johan Santana.
Mike Pelfrey (6-1) got his sixth win of the season, the earliest he reached that many wins and the Mets also bested Yankees starter Phil Hughes (5-1) who trailed 2-0 after the first inning, the largest deficit the right hander has confronted this season. A good night for the Mets and their manager Jerry Manuel that they hope will continue to carry over.
“I feel very good about big Mike,” said Mets Manuel about his starter. “He has really evolved and matured into a solid, solid pitcher.” So solid that Pelfrey contributed to the Yankees to one run on six hits. The Yankees stranded 13 runners and came into the game leading the American League in batting and slugging percentage,
With runners in scoring position the Mets went 5-for- 12 and go their production from their three, four, five and six hitters in the lineup. That was another change for the struggling Mets Angel Pagan went 2-for-3, so did David Wright who has been struggling.
Instead it was Pelfrey, the rookie Jenrry Mejia, and closer Frankie Rodriquez getting a five-out save that stopped the also struggling Yankees. “I feel terrible,” said the Yankees Mark Teixeira who went 0-4 with three strikeouts, now 1-for-20 in his last five games.
Not terrible for the Mets as they snapped a five game losing streak to the Yankees dating back to last June 14th. Bay tied his career high with four hits and Wright, went 2-for-3 with runners in scoring position after coming into the game 2-for- 17 in clutch situations.
“Two out RBI’s” are a killer,” commented Bay. “And then just to try and tack on one here, one there, it ended up we needed those runs at the end.” And the Mets needed those extra runs as the Yankees tacked on two more in the eighth. Manuel called on his closer, Rodriquez, who got his seventh save of the season.
“He did his job,” said Manuel about K-Rod as the Mets once again went to their over used bullpen. “Some people get nervous but I like it instead of coming out to get two outs,” said Rodriquez who struck out his counter part Alex in the ninth. He struck out Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli to end the game.
And for the Yankees, a team looking to find themselves with numerous injuries, it is back to the drawing board and trying to salvage the final game in this first set of games against their rivals from Flushing.
“Its baseball,” said Yankees manager Joe Girardi regarding the inability of his team to get runners across the plate. “You are going to go through that as hitters. It’s the reality of the game,” he said.
e-mail Rich Mancuso: [email protected]