Yankees vs. Mets Preview
NEW YORK (AP) – Less than a month ago, the New York Yankees were swept by their fiercest rival and relinquished the AL East lead.
An impressive surge has seen them reclaim that advantage.
The Yankees look to extend their longest winning streak of the season when they visit the New York Mets in the opener of this three-game Subway Series on Friday night.
According to MLB odds and oddsmakers from online sports book Bodog have made the Yankees -118 money line favorites for Friday’s game against the Mets. Current MLB Public Betting Information shows that 80% of more than 507 bets for this game have been placed on the Yankees -118.
The Yankees (48-31) dropped all three meetings with Boston from June 7-9, falling two games behind the Red Sox in the division race.
Winning 15 of 19 has put them 2 1/2 games up in the East, and they now own the AL’s best record.
The surge continued with Thursday’s 5-0 victory over Milwaukee, giving the Yankees a five-game winning streak for the first time since an eight-game run from Aug. 28-Sept. 4.
They’ve outscored opponents 36-11 over the last five games.
Ivan Nova (7-4, 4.26 ERA) attempts to keep his career-high winning streak going.
The right-hander is 3-0 with a 3.71 ERA over his last four starts. However, Nova struggled through his latest outing while not getting a decision in Sunday’s 6-4 win over Colorado. He was tagged for a career-high three homers while allowing four runs in six innings.
Nova didn’t get a decision in his only meeting with the Mets (41-40) on May 22, allowing three runs and 11 hits in 6 2-3 innings of a 9-3 win.
This time, he’ll contend with a Mets team that is hitting .385 with five homers and 54 runs in five games. The Mets had 10 hits in a 5-2 loss at Detroit on Thursday, as their four-game winning streak ended.
Jose Reyes has done much of that damage, going 14 for 24 with nine runs in the past five games. His .352 average ties him with the Red Sox’s Adrian Gonzalez for tops in baseball and is 61 points higher than his career mark.
Reyes, though, went 3 for 14 as the Mets dropped two of three to the Yankees from May 20-22.
“I know they are playing really good – they have a really good team,” Nova told the Yankees’ official website. “I know I’m going to have a lot of run support from my teammates, too, so I’ve just got to keep my team in the game and pitch a good game.”
Alex Rodriguez feasted on Mets pitching in May, going 7 for 13 with seven runs. He’s hitting .440 with one homer and 11 RBIs in 13 interleague games this season.
Mark Teixeira has seen four of his five hits over the past five games go for homers, including the 300th of his career Thursday. He’s driven in eight runs in that stretch and is among baseball’s leaders with 25 homers and 63 RBIs despite a career-low .243 average.
His last four hits versus the Mets have been homers, but all have come in the Bronx. He’s 4 for 24 with three RBIs in six games at Citi Field.
The Mets are looking to continue their torrid hitting, and finding motivation against the Yankees doesn’t seem to be a problem.
“You’ve got to get up for it,” manager Terry Collins told the team’s official website. “Everybody gets up for playing the Yankees, and we need to also. If you’re going to have interleague play, this is the fun part of interleague play.”
Collins gives the ball to Jonathon Niese (7-6, 3.67) for his Subway Series debut. Niese experienced a rapid heartbeat while pitching last weekend, underwent numerous tests, and was given a heart monitor to wear.
Collins said Niese is “going to be fine.”
The left-hander is 4-1 with a 2.63 ERA in his last six starts. He allowed two runs while striking out seven in 5 2-3 innings of a 14-5 win at Texas on Saturday.
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