Mets Club Yanks, Take Game 2 of Subway Series
If you’re a big fan of quality starting pitching, then game two of the Subway Series Tuesday night was not for you. Zack Wheeler couldn’t make it through the fifth inning, but still, that was an inning longer than Yankees starter Vidal Nuno lasted. In the end the Mets out-clubbed the Yanks to sweep The Bronx portion of the Subway Series.
The Mets jumped out to a big early lead on Nuno. Eric Young led off the game by getting hit by a pitch. Daniel Murphy walked. David Wright singled to score Eric Young and move Murphy to third. With one out Curtis Granderson bashed a three-run homer to right to give the Mets a 4-0 lead. They are going to have to drag Granderson out of The Bronx.
But Wheeler gave most of the lead back in the bottom of the first. Brett Gardner singled and Derek Jeter walked. Jacoby Ellsbury grounded into a double play, leaving a runner on third with two outs. But after a Mark Teixeira RBI single and a Brian McCann two-run homer, suddenly it was 4-3.
Wheeler got out of a first and third with one out jam in the second, but he threw 30 pitches after throwing 27 in the first inning, ensuring a short night.
Wright, who led off the third with a double, would later score on a Juan Lagares sacrifice fly to make it a 5-3 game.
Ruben Tejada led off the fourth inning with a walk. Eric Young hit a sharp grounder to third, a potential double play ball. But third baseman Yangervis Solarte threw wide of second and runners ended up on second and third. Murphy hit a sacrifice fly to score Tejada to make it 6-3. Eric Young moved to third. That was all for Nuno. Alfredo Aceves came in and was greeted by a run-scoring single by Wright to make it 7-3.
Nuno’s ugly pitching line — 3.1 innings pitched, seven runs allowed (five earned), four hits, four walks.
Wheeler opened the fourth inning by issuing back-to-back walks. A fly ball to deep right made it first and third with one out. Gardner singled to center to make it 7-4. With runners on first and second Derek Jeter hit a grounder back to Wheeler. The Mets were able to turn the nice double play to get Wheeler out of the inning.
Juan Lagares led off the fifth with a bloop that was just out of Ellsbury’s reach. Lagares hustled it into a double. He advanced to third on an out and scored on a two out single by Tejada to extend the lead to 8-4. Eric Young walked and Murphy smashed a three-run homer that hit high on the right field foul pole to blow the game open, 11-4.
After struggling through four innings and with 99 pitches under his belt, Terry Collins ran Wheeler out for the fifth inning, probably only because the Mets scored so many runs in the top of the inning. Wheeler allowed a leadoff walk and a one out single. Soriano then singled to make it 11-5 to finally end Wheeler’s night. Daisuke Matsuzaka came in to bring the inning to an end.
Wheeler’s pitching line was not much more attractive that Nuno’s — 4.1 innings pitched, five runs allowed, seven hits, six walks.
Matsuzaka pitched very well, saving the bullpen by going 3.2 innings. He allowed a ninth inning solo home run to Solarte to make it 11-6. He earned his first win of the season.
The Mets also added a ninth inning run on a Duda double to make it 12-6.
Possible future closer Jeurys Familia pitched the ninth. He allowed a run on two walks and a single.
Mets win their third in a row, 12-7.