Yanks Trounce Mets in Game Three, 9-5

On a beautiful night in the Bronx, as the Subway series shifted to Yankee Stadium, the Yankees pounded the rival Mets in the third game of the four-game series. Although Chad Green got the start for New York, it was Luis Severino's exceptional bullpen work that was the story of the game tonight. Getting the call for the Mets was young left-hander Steven Matz, who struggled early in the game bad enough to earn the loss, falling to 8-8 with his rough outing this evening.

Trouble for Green, just as it did in his last start, began on the very first pitch of the ballgame when Curtis Granderson smacked a first pitch fastball into the bleachers in right, giving the Mets a very early 1-0 lead. Following the long ball, Neil Walker and Yoenis Cespedes hit back to back singles, followed by a Jay Bruce walk to load the bases with still no one out. James Loney then hit a broken bat single to center field that scored Walker and extended the Mets lead to two. Michael Conforto then struck out and had it not been for Wilmer Flores's inning ending double-play, both the inning and the game could've got very out of hand very quickly.

Unlike last night, however, the Bombers came back in the bottom of the first to take the lead on young Matz. With one out, Rob Refsnyder singled and Mark Teixeira followed with a walk, both scoring when the surprising cleanup hitter Chase Headley drilled a double to left, tying the game at two. After a Starlin Castro backwards K, the most productive offensive player for the Yankees Didi Gregorius stayed hot by drilling a double of his own that scored Headley and put the Yankees up by one.

With five total runs having scored in the first inning alone, you could just tell that it wasn't going to end there and it didn't as Green allowed the Mets to tie the game in the top of the second. Kelly Johnson started the frame with a double, coming around to score when the next batter Renée Rivera singled up the middle, tying the game at three. Curtis Granderson followed with a walk, but it was another double-play ball, this time off the bat of Neil Walker, that saved Green's beans for a second straight inning. The young righty needed 51 pitches to get through the first two frames.

The back-and-forth nature of the game continued in the bottom of the frame as the Yankees would retake the lead against the struggling young left-hander. With two outs, Jacoby Ellsbury and Refsnyder hit consecutive singles past the shortstop, both coming around to score when the next batter Mark Teixeira belted a three-run homerun just over the wall in right field that put the Yanks up 6-3.

After tossing a very stressful 3.2 innings, Chad Green was pulled in the top of the fourth after throwing 85 pitches. With two outs, Granderson drew another walk and Neil Walker followed with a single, Girardi went to the bullpen to get Luis Severino to face Cespedes, who was representing the tying run. Severino proceeded to strike out the Met slugger on three pitches, ending the threat and the frame with the three-run lead still intact.

Although there were no runs scored in the bottom of the fifth, there was definitely some shady nonsense a foot. The first pitch that Mark Teixeira sought after building his three run shot ended up plunking him in his already ailing left knee, sending the slugger to the ground. Tex immediately popped up as if to charge the mound and both benches cleared. Although Matz pled his case that the HBP was unintentional, it sure as hell did not look that way.

Severino found himself in some trouble in the top of the sixth but made a case that he should be inserted back into the rotation with his electric performance. Granderson led off the frame with yet another walk, Neil Walker caught the Yankees shift offguard by laying down a perfect bunt and Cespedes smoked a ground ball to third that was misplayed by Headley, loading the bases for the cleanup hitter Jay Bruce. After a HUGE strikeout by Bruce, the Yankee killer James Loney grounded out to first, scoring Granderson and pulling the Mets back to within two. But then Severino got Michael Conforto to strike out with the tying run on second base, ending the threat and walking off the field to a chorus of cheers that hasn't been heard in Yankee Stadium in quite some time.

Gary Sanchez was called up from AAA today and was able to record his first big league hit in the bottom of the seventh. Sanchez started the inning with a ground ball single up the middle off of reliever Hanzel Robles, advancing to third when the next batter Aaron Hicks drilled a double off the right-field wall. After Ellsbury struck out, Refsnyder then hit a sac fly that allowed Sanchez to score his first big league run, pushing the Yankee lead back up to three. After consecutive walks to Teixeira and Headley to load the bases, Starlin Castro hit an infield single that scored Hicks, 8-4. And then Gregorius drew another walk that forced in Teixeira from third to push it to a 9-4 score.

Severino's performance tonight cannot be understated enough as the young righty pitched 4.1 brilliant innings, allowing just the one run on one hit(the bunt single) while striking out five. Girardi, Rothchild and the rest of the Yankee brass, I believe, will have to strongly consider having Severino start five days from now.

Neil Walker hit a solo shot in the top of the ninth off Tyler Clippard that pulled the Mets back to within four, but no more damage would be done as the Yankees notched their second victory in the past three games.

Tomorrow, Eovaldi takes the ball for the Pinstripers in hopes of locking down another four game series win in the final game of the Subway series, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 PM/EST.