The Yankees had scored 218 runs over their first 42 games. A total of 111 of those runs had scored on home runs (33 solo shots, 20 two-run homers, 10 three-run blasts and two grand slams). You wouldn't need Jaime Escalante to tell you that the Yankees have scored more than half of their runs on home runs. So basically, the formula to stop the Yankees is to keep them in the ballpark. Except for one solo pop-up by Mark Teixeira, that's exactly what R.A. Dickey and his fellow moundsmen did. This is Joey Beartran and you're about to read my small bites from last night's game.
I'll take the Mets' small ball style of play to the Yankees' "homers or nothing" approach any day of the week. The Yankees took the early lead against the Mets on the "strength" of Mark Teixeira's pop-up to the shallow right field seats. Carlos Beltran gave it a valiant effort, but he was still unable to catch Big Texy's solo bloop. Had the game been played at Citi Field, Beltran probably would have had to come in to make the play.
The Mets responded quickly in the top of the fourth. Back-to-back two-out doubles by designated hitter Fernando Martinez and the man Jason Bay wishes he could hit like, Justin Turner, knotted the game at 1.
R.A. Dickey struggled a bit in the bottom of the fifth inning, allowing infield singles to Brett Gardner and the man who claims to have an Edge. But then his royal Edgeness' counterpart, Jose Reyes, made a spectacular game-changing defensive play on a grounder hit by third baseman Alex Rodriguez, diving to his left to rob Cameron Diaz's boy toy of a potential game-tying single. It was a play the aforementioned Edge driver would never have made due to his lack of range. Yes, it's a fact that Derek Jeter may have an Edge (I believe everything I see on TV, don't you?), but Jose Reyes has a Range Rover, and it proved to be the difference in last night's ballgame.Speaking of differences, Daniel Murphy yanked a ball down the right field line that gave the Mets the lead in the sixth inning. Murphy's fourth homer of the year was one of only five hits surrendered by Yankee starter/Met castoff Freddy Garcia. However, four of those five hits went for extra bases and accounted for both runs scored by the Mets. (Aren't you glad the Mets went with Tim Redding as their No. 5 starter in 2009 rather than Freddy Garcia?)
Dickey was lifted after throwing 101 pitches in six effective innings, culminating his start with back-to-back strikeouts of Jorge Posada and Nick Swisher. It was then up to the bullpen to preserve the lead. Mike O'Connor (0.00 ERA, 0.35 WHIP in 5.2 innings), Jason Isringhausen (1.80 ERA, seven hits allowed in 15 innings) and Francisco Rodriguez (15 consecutive saves) retired every batter they faced, with K-Rod putting an end to the game the same way Dickey ended his outing, striking out Jorge Posada and Nick Swisher.
After the game, Yankee manager Joe Girardi said it best when he offered this explanation as to why his players were confounded at the plate throughout the game:
"Whenever you face a knuckleballer, you're really not sure what's going to happen because it's not something guys face every day. It's a totally different day for all of our hitters."
Thank you for saying it so succinctly, Joe. Facing a knuckleballer confused the hitters. In fact, they were so confused that they forgot how to hit the non-knuckleballing firm of O'Connor, Isringhausen and Rodriguez over the final three innings as well.
With the victory, the Mets improved to .500 on the season, a mark they hadn't reached since they were 4-4 on April 9. The Yankees fell to 23-20, or one step closer to where the Mets are now.
Tonight, Chris Capuano faces A.J. Burnett, who is making his 19th career start against the Mets, but has only won four of them (4-6, eight no-decisions). The game will be broadcast by FOX, which will afford Mets fans the opportunity to listen to Howie Rose call the game on WFAN.
I will not be watching the game on FOX or listening to it on WFAN. Instead, I will be in attendance at The House That Juice Built, hoping to see the Mets win their fifth road series of the year, which would be one more than they won all of last year.
The Yankees might be the ones currently taking large bites out of the New York fanbase, but the Mets showed that if they take enough small bites out of the Yankees' overhyped (and overpaid) machine, the teams can be on even ground. After all, small bites tend to make the meal more satisfying, while big bites just give you indigestion. I should know. I'm an expert on the topic.
