New York Yankees vs. New York Mets: Carlos Rodón vs. José Quintana

Any goodwill the Yankees generated by sweeping the Royals this past weekend likely vanished when they went down 7-0 in the seventh inning of their eventual 9-3 loss to the Mets last night. After a brief reprieve, last night’s contest was a reminder of just how many holes this team still has to fill, from a punchless lineup to a top-heavy rotation to a bullpen that, once a strength, now appears to be sputtering.

With the trade deadline nearing and without the prospect capital to address all of their needs, the Yankees are running out of time to determine which areas truly require upgrades. Carlos Rodón hasn’t looked sharp through three starts thus far; if he falters again, rotation depth might climb the Yankees’ deadline wish list. Yet, there are reasons to expect a rebound tonight, beginning with Rodón’s fastball, which he’s throwing just as hard as he was in each of the past two seasons. As he continues to shake off the rust following his long layoff, look for him to sharpen his command, too.

Opposing Rodón tonight is in some ways his mirror image: another expensive veteran lefty who has hardly been able to take the field for another disappointing and expensive team. José Quintana gets the call for the Mets tonight, making just his second start on the season. He’s never had the upside of Rodón, but the former All-Star is coming off a season in which he reestablished himself as a viable mid-rotation arm with the Pirates and Cardinals. A rib lesion kept him out until last week, when he tossed five innings of two-run ball in his Mets debut.

The Yankees will turn to Isiah Kiner-Falefa to lead things off against Quintana. It’s his first time starting atop the order as a Yankee, and he gets the nod due to a favorable matchup against a left-hander. Gleyber Torres, hitting second, gets the half-day off at DH, perhaps still dealing with a hip issue that forced him to leave early on Sunday. That leaves Giancarlo Stanton in the field tonight; he’ll play right and hit third. Meanwhile, Oswald Peraza will take over at the keystone for Torres, hitting ninth. Elsewhere, Kyle Higashioka gets his fourth nod at catcher in five games since Jose Trevino was ruled out for the season on Friday.

Rookie Francisco Alvarez, meanwhile, returns for the Mets behind the dish despite getting hit on the hand by an Albert Abreu sinker last night. He’ll hit eighth. Mark Vientos, another rookie Abreu drilled, gets the nod at third and will hit second. Tommy Pham, who hasn’t started since Thursday due to a groin issue, is back in the lineup at DH and will hit fifth. Pete Alonso, who homered twice last night, will clean up and man first base.

How to watch

Location: Yankee Stadium — Bronx, NY

First pitch: 7:05 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES – NYY / SNY — NYM

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9, WADO 1280

Online stream: MLB.tv

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