7/4/21 Game Preview: New York Mets at New York Yankees, Doubleheader Edition

The rain held off yesterday afternoon and allowed the Subway Series to get underway, a positive development for the New York Mets (42-36), whose bats exploded in an 8-3 win over the New York Yankees (41-40). The win was an important one for the Mets, who snapped a two-game losing skid and expanded their lead in the National League East to 3.5 games over the Washington Nationals. The Mets are set to wrap up their seven-game road trip and this edition of the Subway Series today as they are set for a split doubleheader with the Yankees to make up for Friday’s rainout. First pitch for Game 1 is scheduled for a 2:05 p.m. matinee at Yankee Stadium while Game 2 will be nationally televised at 7:08 p.m. as part of ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball package.

The marquee pitching matchup comes in Game 1 as right-hander Marcus Stroman (6-6, 2.45 ERA) squares off with Yankees’ ace Gerrit Cole (8-4, 2.66 ERA). Stroman was hit hard by the Philadelphia Phillies last Sunday, giving up four runs (although just two were earned) in three innings to suffer his sixth loss of the season. Cole was hammered by the Boston Red Sox last Sunday, giving up six runs (five earned) in five innings to suffer his fourth loss of the year.

Game 2 will be a bullpen affair for both sides. Righty Corey Oswalt (1-0, 1.42 ERA)  will be the starter for the Mets in the nightcap. Oswalt last pitched against the Phillies in relief of Stroman last Sunday, tossing four shutout innings to keep the Mets in the game, a performance the team would love for him to duplicate tonight. The Yankees will counter with lefty Nestor Cortes (0-0, 1.02 ERA). Cortes’ last relief appearance came on Tuesday when he allowed one hit in 1.2 scoreless innings of relief against the Los Angeles Angels in a game the Yankees went on to win 11-5.

Local Coverage:

Television: SNY (Game 1), ESPN (Game 2)

Radio: WCBS

New York Mets Lineup (Game 1):

Early game lineup. #LGM pic.twitter.com/yuqIVVrnO0

— New York Mets (@Mets) July 4, 2021

Pre-Game Notes: 

• Today’s first game is a makeup of Friday night’s rainout.
• Each contest of the doubleheader is scheduled for seven innings as part of the 2021 health and safety rules.
• This is the Mets’ eighth doubleheader of the season. They are 9-5 in seven-inning games this season and have secured at least a split in each of their doubleheaders so far in 2021.
• This is just the second doubleheader of the season for the Yankees. They split their only previous twin bill against the Toronto Blue Jays back on May 27.
• Stroman is 6-6 with a 4.23 ERA in 17 career starts against the Yankees.
• Cole is 2-2 with a 6.26 ERA in five career starts against the Mets but has not faced them since 2017, when he was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
• Oswalt has never faced the Yankees before.
• Cortes has made one career relief appearance against the Mets, tossing a scoreless inning in a 5-1 Yankees win on July 3, 2018.
• Dominic Smith will serve as the designated hitter in Game 1 for the Mets. Pete Alonso will start at first base and bat cleanup while Billy McKinney plays left field and hits seventh.
• Tomas Nido will catch in Game 1 and hit eighth, freeing up James McCann to catch the nightcap.
• The Mets are expecting to activated Jonathan Villar (calf) from the injured list between games. Villar will likely start in Game 2.
• Nick Tropeano has been recalled from AAA Syracuse to serve as the 27th man for today’s doubleheader.
• Miguel Andujar (3 for 7, 2 2B, 4 RBI), Aaron Judge (8 for 18, 4 HR, 6 RBI), Gleyber Torres (2 for 5, 2 2B) and Gio Urshela (3 for 6, 2 RBI) have fared well against Stroman in the past.
• McCann (5 for 13, 3 2B, HR, 4 RBI) and Michael Conforto (2 for 6, HR, 2 RBI) have done well against Cole before.
• McKinney and Francisco Lindor have both homered against Cortes in the past.
• These are the final games of the Mets’ current seven-game road trip. The Mets have gone 2-3 over the first five contests entering today’s doubleheader.