The Mets host the Yankees tonight. Your intrepid columnist is making his third pilgrimage of the year and he can only wonder what will greet him when he gets there. The first three games of this series have been more on the bizzarro side than anyone could have envisioned. First of all, the Mets – downtrodden and utterly beaten up the previous week, causing even casual observers to wonder if they’d ever plate more than two runs at a pop – strode into Yankee Stadium as if they owned the joint. Walking often and slashing away at what was worthy, they managed to put up 21 runs to the hosts’ 14. It must have been two late touchdowns that did it. Back in the “friendly” environs of Citi Field, however, they found that their hard shots to right were mere outs, not the home runs they became in the Bronxian coziness. They also managed to play one of the more unintelligent games you’ll ever see.
To wit:
• Eighth-place hitter Brian Roberts’ dunker to left with two outs in the third, for which Eric Young, Jr. dove and missed, sending Yangervis Solarte scurrying home with the game’s first run.
• Chris Young’s meandering steal attempt after a leadoff base hit – one of the precious few they’d gain off Yankee wunderkind Masahiro Tanaka on this night – with the team down 2-0 in the fifth.
• Carlos Torres and Anthony Recker holding hands after both attempted to field a swinging bunt off Derek Jeter’s bat, resulting in another run in the top of the seventh.
• Recker’s utter inability to find second base whenever any Yankee attempted to steal it.
Now, would success in any of these instances have given the Mets a win? Probably not, the way Tanaka was pitching. Fans who hadn’t been paying attention can now see what all the fuss has been about – it’s no wonder this guy hasn’t lost in 34 starts, split between here and Japan. But if the Mets had been able to keep their heads in the game and been able to execute, the final would have been closer to 2-0, well within range of this team’s brand of late-inning scrappiness. Instead, it was 4-0 and the game felt over by the fifth inning. It leaves one to wonder which kind of club will take the field tonight: the swaggering, sniggering bunch that brought the Yankees to a record equal to theirs, or the listless crew that rolled over before a superior pitcher?
Speaking of pitchers…
Both squads will be trotting out a hurler making his Major League debut. The Mets’ Jacob deGrom will be facing a fresh-faced Bomber named Chase Whitley. According to minor league legend, the only hurler currently under the Mets’ employ who comes close to the showing velocity deGrom displays is Matt Harvey. It will be interesting to see and separate the ability from the hyperbole. The Mets’ revamped bullpen – sans Kyle Farnsworth and teeming with erstwhile Las Vegans — also carries the air of the unknown.
So, yeah, I’m going to the game. Will the Mets win?
I don’t know.
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A few things I learned from last night’s game.
Jacob deGrom was great, and showed the ability to mature within a game. A rarity.
The Mets are failing at their own hitting system, and don’t know how to hit line drives.
Scott Rice is no longer fit for a major league bullpen.
David Wright is not playing like David Wright.
A single tear falls from my check.
The Mets are a different team at home.A much worse team.