Unlike Mets, Yankees lineup can absorb missing players
Yankees first baseman Edwin Encarnacion connects on a second-inning single against the Mets at Citi Field on Tuesday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The Yankees were not without their own problems heading into Tuesday night’s Subway Series opener at Citi Field.
Sure they owned the AL’s best record and had just bludgeoned the Red Sox during a 29-run weekend across the pond. But there was a bit of jet lag, along with the loss of rock-solid first baseman, Luke Voit, their 21st player to wind up on the IL this season.
But there’s a big difference between what’s considered a problem in the Bronx as opposed to Flushing, and the injured Voit was another example. As soon as the Yankees put Voit on the IL for an indefinite period, with a tricky condition, he was replaced at first base Tuesday by Edwin Encarnacion.
Think about that. Encarnacion, already with 24 homers, stepped in for Voit when one of the team’s most durable players suffered an injury no one saw coming. Except for maybe Brian Cashman, whose obsession with roster redundancy has turned creating depth into an art form.
“He’s been so good,” Aaron Boone said of Voit. “Such a consistent performer for us.”
Boone could recycle those same sentences for nearly everyone in pinstripes, because that’s how a team goes 13-1, as the Yankees have since June 15, or 31-12 since May 15. They have a lineup with no holes, and a relentless, perpetually refreshed bullpen.
The rotation, as we all know, needs an upgrade, and that’s Cashman’s primary directive between now and July 31. He’ll get something done. A World Series trip could hang in the balance.
As much as the Mets still try to entertain the thought of a mid-July revival, looking across the field Tuesday should have cleared their heads of such a fantasy. These days, every ounce of the Flushing club’s energy is devoted to treading water, and most nights, they end up sinking in spectacular fashion.
To that end, Brodie Van Wagenen flipped over the bullpen by inserting four new relievers for Tuesday’s opener, a move that offers too little, too late. It wasn’t the GM’s fault that Jeurys Familia and Justin Wilson had extended tours on the IL with the Mets desperately needing help, but Edwin Diaz may have doomed them on his own by blowing four of eight save chances during a critical stretch that could have kept their season alive.
Both Familia and Wilson were back for the Yankees, along with call-up Luis Avilan and a surprise bullpen guest: Steven Matz. From a scheduling standpoint, sending Matz to the pen wasn’t too radical, considering the two off days this week, and the fact that he asked for the assignment.
It’s just a matter of how long Matz stays there. And Callaway was careful to leave himself some wiggle room when pressed on Matz returning to the rotation after the All-Star break.
“Yeah, he’s one of our top five starting pitchers at this point,” Callaway said. “But we will do anything as an organization to try and win games. And maybe he comes out this week and helps us win two games out of the bullpen. I don’t know. I expect [him to be a starter] after the All-Star break. But we’ll adjust if we need to.”
The Mets are stuck doing this on the fly now, and they’ve been scrambling for weeks as the season has been circling the drain. Publicly, Callaway can talk about resurrecting this team. Privately, however, the sooner they sell off a piece or two, the better. The only must-have item on Citi Field’s shelves is Zack Wheeler, and he showcased himself Tuesday against a Yankees’ team that should be one of his top pursuers.
Wheeler struck out eight over 6 1/3 innings, and allowed only two earned runs -- no small feat against these powerhouse Yankees. But even if Cashman is regularly dialing up Van Wagenen, as he did Flushing last year about Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard, the Mets’ rookie GM must tread lightly when it comes to dealing with his Bronx counterpart.
Van Wagenen sees himself as an outside-the-box thinker. The risk of having Wheeler flourish in the Bronx, however -- including a title-chasing October run -- is motivation enough to find him a new home outside the five boroughs.
“You hate to lose anybody,” Callaway said. “But that becomes a reality at some point.”
The Mets have endured plenty of problems already, and this Subway Series should finish any involvement with the Yankees during this lost year. No sense in creating any additional headaches.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
