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The Yankees beat the Mets in the rubber game of the Subway Series today, moving to 11-8 on the season.
Nathan Eovaldi didn't get off to the ideal start, giving up a leadoff home run to former Yankee short porch abuser Curtis Granderson. Juan Lagares followed with a base hit, as Eovaldi continued to give up hard contact in the first inning, with a good defensive play each from Chris Young and Chase Headley needed for the first two outs. However, the Yankees couldn't strand Lagares as Daniel Murphy lined a bullet double past Mark Teixeira to put the Mets up 2-0. Alex Rodriguez got one of the runs back in the bottom of the first, digging out a curveball for an opposite field home run. It might have just missed the heart of the bat as well, as Rodriguez showed his still-impressive power for his fifth home run of the season.
Eovaldi had a much better second inning, three Mets up and three Mets back down, with two strikeouts. The Yankees offense looked pretty good in the second as well. John Ryan Murphy got things started with a one-out double before Gregorio Petit and Brett Gardner drove in runs with a pair of two-out doubles. Chris Young singled to bring Gardner home, and Rodriguez drove in the Yankees fifth run of the day, and fourth of the inning, with the fourth Yankee double of the inning. A-Rod got thrown out trying to stretch out a third base on a Michael Cuddyer throwing error, but a throwing error that meant there was no play at the plate to prevent Young giving the Yankees a three run lead.
The Mets got some two-out, double-driven offense of their own in the third inning. Lucas Duda singled after two outs, before Cuddyer and Murphy doubled the Mets back to within one, at 5-4. Eovaldi pitched through to one out in the fifth, before a Headley throwing error, after a great barehand grab, allowed Lagares to advance to second with one out. Eovaldi's line on the day, 4.1 innings, four earned runs and six strikeouts. Not his sharpest outing, but enough to give the Yankees a chance to win.
Chasen Shreve came on in relief of Eovaldi, and after hitting Duda, got Cuddyer to ground into an inning ending double play, allowing the Yankees to escape the fifth still with the lead. Gardner led off the bottom of the fifth with an infield single, barely beating out a Wilmer Flores throw. The play was initially called out, but overturned on replay review. Gardner took third base, as Young reached on a Murphy error, then came around to score on what should have been a double play ball by Rodriguez. Flores sailed the throw to first base though, committing the fourth Mets error on the day. The Mets eventually got their double play to exit the inning, but not before the Yankees tacked on an insurance run to make it 6-4.
After Shreve walked Murphy to lead off the sixth, the Yankees went to Chris Martin who got three outs on six pitches, aided by some Mets baserunning. Martin got two outs in the seventh before handing the ball to Justin Wilson to get out the lefty Granderson. Dellin Betances was brought in to pitch the eighth, which he did in some style. Three strikeouts, the third of which was Cuddyer who reached after the strikeout curveball got away from Murphy. Betances couldn't get the rare four strikeout inning, but retired Murphy on a ground out to hand the ball to Andrew Miller for the ninth. Miller hit Flores to bring the tying run to the plate with one out, but that was as close as the Mets got against the Game Enderer.
The Yankees are coming off three straight series wins, and have won eight of their last ten. They will look to keep the momentum going when they welcome the Tampa Bay Rays to the Bronx to begin a three game set tomorrow. Adam Warren takes the mound for the Yankees against Nathan Karns.