New York Yankees-New York Mets Series Preview

The annual Subway Series kicks off Monday in Queens as the New York Yankees begin a four game set against the rival New York Mets.

The New York Yankees will likely be light a few stars as they begin this four game Subway Series against the Mets. Most of Monday’s headlines will be focused on the afternoon trade deadline, but  after the hoopla dies down, baseball will resume as usual.

The Amazin’s haven’t fared much better than the Yankees in 2016. They were expected to once again be a strong championship contender this year, but come into the series at 54-50 and 6.5 games back in the NL East.

Like the Yankees, the Mets are still in the Wild Card hunt (2.5 GB), but have several clubs to climb over if they want to make the postseason. Despite their stiff competition, FanGraphs has their playoff odds at a solid 27.2% (Compare that to the Yankees current 2.6%. Ouch). 

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As bad as their offense has looked, it would be foolish to bet against that rotation. Even after losing Matt Harvey (shoulder surgery) for the year, their starting pitching has been formidable. Their starters have combined for a 3.43 ERA, good for third in MLB, and 12.7 wins above replacement, which ranks second.

Of course, the terrible offense certainly can’t just be passed over. The Mets have scored the second lowest runs in the majors with 375 as of Sunday. They have been hit hard by injuries this year, and didn’t really have a whole lot of depth in the lineup to begin with. It will be nice to see a team have a harder time scoring runs than the Yankees.

First baseman Lucas Duda (back), third baseman David Wright (herniated disk), outfielder Juan Lagares (thumb), and questionable human being Jose Reyes (intercostal) are all currently residing on the disabled list.

Scheduled Matchups

Monday at 7:10 pm ET- CC Sabathia vs. Logan Verrett

Tuesday at 7:10 pm ET- Masahiro Tanaka vs. Jacob deGrom

Wednesday at 7:05 pm ET- Ivan Nova vs. Steven Matz

Thursday at 7:05 pm ET- Nathan Eovaldi vs. Bartolo Colon

Mets “Go-To” Starting Lineup (Courtesy of RosterResource)

1. Curtis Granderson– RF (107 wRC+) Always nice to see the Grandy Man doing well.
2. Travis d’Arnaud– C (69 wRC+) Can’t be easy to see your club desperately trying to find an upgrade over you at the trade deadline.
3. Yoenis Cespedes– LF (147 wRC+) Dealing with a lingering right quad issue, but trying to avoid the DL
4. James Loney– 1B (116 wRC+) Hitting cleanup, really?
5. Neil Walker– 2B (101 wRC+) One of the most boringly average all-around players in MLB.
6. Wilmer Flores– 3B (108 wRC+) Apparently a very emotional guy.
7. Asdrubal Cabrera– SS (96 wRC+) He and Walker are a boringly competent middle infield duo.
8. Michael Conforto– CF (96 wRC+) Has not turned into the middle-of-the-lineup monster many expected.