The Mets and Yankees entered their respective weekend series in a similar situation. Keep winning and they will likely buy at the deadline. But come away with more losses than wins, and it’ll get closer to the time when the white flag is waved.
While it wasn’t impressive, Anthony Rizzo and the Bombers got back on track by sweeping the Kansas City Royals. As for the Mets? Well, they won their first game in Boston against the Red Sox before dropping the next two. Their fate isn’t sealed just yet, but it probably should be.
Here are the probable pitching matchups for the second edition of the 2023 Subway Series, which will be played at Yankee Stadium.
Tuesday at 7:05 pm ET: Justin Verlander vs. Domingo German
As the trade rumors continue to swirl, Justin Verlander will take the mound looking to build upon his dominant outing against the White Sox. He allowed just one run on three hits, one walk, and seven strikeouts in eight innings. JV faced the Yankees at Citi Field last month, allowing one run across six innings. He has a 3.75 career ERA at Yankee Stadium.
Domingo German struck out nine hitters for the third time in his last four appearances during his most recent start. However, it was accompanied by five earned runs, four hits, and three walks in six innings. This will be the righty’s first start against the Mets this year. He made two starts against New York in 2022, posting a 2.45 ERA in 11 innings.
Wednesday at 7:05 pm ET: Jose Quintana vs. Carlos Rodon
Jose Quintana’s second start of the season and he gets thrown right into the Subway Series spotlight. The Mets ended up losing his debut against the White Sox, but the lefty looked good, allowing two runs on six hits, no walks, and three strikeouts in five innings. Outside of getting shelled in his first career start vs. the Yankees in 2012, he’s performed well against the Bombers. Quintana owns a 2.97 lifetime ERA against them.
Meanwhile, Carlos Rodon will hope to give Yankees fans more than a kiss to talk about once he steps off the mound in the Bronx. The southpaw owns a 7.36 ERA through three starts. This includes 12 earned runs on 12 hits (four homers) and nine walks in 14.2 innings. The only start Rodon has had against the Mets in his career came last year while pitching for the San Francisco Giants. He allowed three hits and two walks on eight strikeouts in five shutout innings.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
