Yankees vs. Mets: Subway Series Rivalry Returns

The New York Subway Series rivalry between the Yankees and Mets continues this weekend with both clubs looking to find some continuity in their play. Once holding a commanding lead in the AL East, the Yankees have squandered that advantage by dropping 12 of 18 games following Tuesday’s 12-5 setback at Toronto. The Mets have endured tough times of their own recently dropping 13 of 16 games after getting swept by Pittsburgh over the weekend. Not only is this an intense rivalry for bragging rights in the Big Apple, it’s a time for both teams to snap out of the slumber that’s plagued them.

Yankees vs. Mets Game Preview

The middle game of the series takes place on Saturday, July 5 from Citi Field in the burrough of Queens, New York. First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET with television coverage on FS1.

A lack of offense is a big reason for the Yankees’ struggles. During a recent six-game losing streak they were shut out three times and scored a total of six runs. The bats have recovered but now pitching is an issue. They surrendered 12 runs to Toronto on Tuesday, the fourth straight outing allowing at least five runs. The stats say that this will pass. Despite the woes the Yankees have one of the most explosive offensive teams in MLB and their staff boasts the seventh-best ERA in MLB. The Yankees have allowed teams in the division to catch up, which could be a needed kick in the pants. Led by MVP front runner Aaron Judge, the Yankees rank among the top 5 in runs/game, OPS and home runs. Judge entered the week hitting .358 with 30 home runs and 67 RBIs. The Yankees have the third best record in the AL and they’ve been a gold mine for UNDER bettors with 60 percent of their games finishing below the total, the third highest UNDER percentage in baseball.

It’s been a long few weeks for the Mets with their stock plummeting in the NL. Once proud owners of the best record in the senior circuit the Mets now find themselves trailing Philadelphia in the East. When they were winning games behind a surprisingly successful pitching staff earlier in the year, the lack of production from Juan Soto could be overlooked. It was hard to imagine Griffin Canning pitching an entire season the way he did over the first few months. With regression in the staff has come some not so happy results for Mets fans. The staff ERA ranks sixth in the majors, but it’s climbed more than half run in a month. And the offense ranks in the middle of the pack in runs/game and batting average. That wasn’t what was expected when Soto inked a mega-bucks deal in the offseason. The Mets could pay a lot less to a guy hitting .256. There have been signs of Soto breaking out, though. He homered in the opener of the Pittsburgh series for the Mets only run, his sixth home run in seven games.

Yankees vs. Mets Predictions

With the Mets struggling on the bump and Frankie Montas, who just returned from injury, in line to start, the Yankees could bust out offensively. In his second start of the year Montas allowed six earned runs and two homers in 4.0 innings in a 12-1 loss to the Pirates. Though they had a rough six-game stretch in mid-June, the Yankees are potent on offense. They average more than five runs per game with a .781 OPS to rank among the top 5 in MLB. Six players have belted more than 10 home runs to help place the Bombers second in that category.

The Mets are hopeful the Citi Field magic is a thing. They started play on Tuesday 11 games over .500 overall with most of the damage taking place on their home field. The Mets had the second best home winning percentage in MLB with success in more than 69 percent of their games.

Yankees vs. Mets Head-to-Head and Key Stats

The teams met back in May with the Yankees winning two of three outscoring the Mets 16-7. The Mets have enjoyed success at home against their cross-city rivals, though, winning three in a row and eight of the last 10 meetings at Citi Field. And of those 10 encounters eight of them cashed the OVER. Yankees probable starter Carlos Rodon is having a sparkling season going 9-5 with a 2.95 ERA and 1.00 WHIP over 106.2 innings. Rodon got the win allowing one run and two hits in 5.0 innings in a 6-2 win on May 16.

Yankees vs. Mets Betting Tips

The Yankees may have the edge in this matchup if the pitching rotation holds. Rodon has been solid all year and the Yanks have a good bullpen anchored by closer Luke Weaver, who recently returned from injury. It is worth noting, however, that the clubs have played some high-scoring affairs at Citi Field over the years and the potential is there for another slugfest. The Yankees and over look to be the way to go on Saturday.