Series preview: Yankees host Mets for Subway Series finale

After splitting their four-game series with the Marlins, the New York Mets (51-48) travel across town to Yankee Stadium to play the final two games of the 2024 Subway Series against the New York Yankees (60-42).

The Mets won the first two games against the Yankees when they hosted them at Citi Field a few weeks ago, so regardless of the outcome of those next two games, the worst-case scenario for the Mets would be a tie in this year’s Subway Series.

However, it will likely be a source of additional motivation for both teams, given the comments between members of both teams before Tuesday’s game. Mets pitcher Luis Severino He sparked the uproar by telling the media that he and his former Yankees teammates had recently made friendly remarks in their group chat. Severino’s Comments about the lack of depth in the Yankees lineup caused a stir in the Yankees community and justified a Answer from Juan Soto.

Let’s take a look at the pitching duels in the Bronx!

Tuesday, July 23, 2024: LHP Jose Quintana (4-6, 4.13 ERA) vs. RHP Luis Gil (10-5, 3.17 ERA)

After two consecutive scoreless outings, Jose Quintana regressed, allowing five runs in 5 2/3 innings in his last appearance. Consistency has been Quintana’s biggest problem this season, as he has shown flashes of dominance in a few appearances. Quintana’s best pitch has been his changeup, which he used to limit opponents to a .222 batting average and .322 slugging percentage.

After his poor performance against the Mets on June 26, Luis Gil struggled briefly before returning to his dominant form. In his last two starts, he has allowed just two runs and has 16 strikeouts in 12 2/3 innings. Gil has shown a knack for creating swings and misses, with his 29.3% whiff rate and 28.2% strikeout rate this season. He is also among the league’s best in xBA (expected batting average), at .200, indicating good contact generation.

Photo by Rafael Suanes-USA TODAY Sports

Wednesday, July 24, 2024: LHP Sean Manaea (6-4, 3.73 ERA) vs. RHP Gerrit Cole (3-1, 4.60 ERA)

Aside from his recent performance, Sean Manaea has turned things around in the last month. In seven starts since June 14, Manaea has a 2.88 ERA, a 3.93 FIP and a 40.7 percent groundball rate with 37 strikeouts in 40 2/3 innings. His sweeper continues to be his strongest pitcher, with a 43.2 percent whiff rate and a .156 batting average despite being used 299 times.

Gerrit Cole seems to be back to his old self after a late start to the season due to injury. In his last two appearances, he has struck out 15 batters and allowed just two runs in 12 innings. This year, he has a strikeout rate of 26.6 percent and a hard hit rate of 35.4 percent, showing that he is looking almost like the Gerrit Cole of recent years.

Players in focus

Jeff McNeil (NYC)

Jeff McNeil is finally broken out of his season slump and hit three home runs in the four-game series against the Marlins. In his last seven games, he has a batting average of .304/.320/.783 with nine RBIs. While McNeil has not been very noticeable on the game report this year, There are some encouraging signs that a possible turning point for him.

His strikeout rate is only 12.8 percent, his whiff rate is only 15.4 percent, and he is in the 90th percentile of his squared-up rate at 31.8 percent (read MLB’s description of how this statistic works is calculated Here). These statistics show that he not only bring the racket to the ball frequently But that it is usually of high quality.

Juan Soto (NYY)

Juan Soto has been outstanding lately, hitting .455/.471/.939 with three home runs and seven RBIs in his last seven games. As many baseball fans know, this is nothing new for Soto. Just looking at the red lines on Juan Soto’s Baseball Savant Pageit’s clear that he’s in a league of his own when it comes to batting averages. Soto offers a unique combination of light tower power and excellent batting discipline, making him one of the most coveted free agents for the upcoming offseason.