Baez Error Helps Yankees End 7-Game Skid

 YANKEES 8 - METS 7 

At the end of the day it was a thumbs down for Mets second baseman Javier Baez. 

In a game that featured so much, from a touching tribute to the 20th Anniversary of 9-11, to a back-and-forth affair, as neither team wanted to hold a lead, Baez's throwing on a grounder by Luke Voit, proved to be all the Yankees needed to steal one from the Mets, ending their seven game losing streak. 

The error allowed Andrew Velazquez to score from second after he came into the game as a pinch runner for Giancarlo Stanton. 

The deciding run capped off what was a three-run eighth inning for the Yankees, started by a mammoth two-run home run by Aaron Judge that tied the game at seven. Judge had two homers in the game, including a solo shot in the top of the second inning that gave the Yankees an early 5-0 lead. 

In fact, the Yanks had three homers in that second inning with Kyle Higashioka and Brett Gardner hitting bombs of their own to build that early Yankee lead. 

Yet, as has been the case lately for the Yankees, they couldn't hold that 5-0 advantage. Taijuan Walker settled in for the Mets, holding the Yankees off the scoreboard over the next four innings as the Amazin's clawed their way back. 

The Mets got three runs back in the bottom half of the second inning on a RBI double by Kevin Pillar, a run scoring triple by James McCann and a RBI single from Walker himself to cut the Yankees lead to 5-3. 

Baez, who had a good night at the plate, connected for his 9th home run since coming to the Mets, in the bottom of the third inning to cut the Yankees lead to 5-4. 

That would be all for Yankees starter Cory Kluber, who only lasted four innings, allowing four runs on five hits. 

The Yankees bullpen continued the implosion as Lucas Lutege, Chad Green and Clay Holmes all gave up runs to the Mets.  

Fast forward to the bottom of the sixth, McCann crushed a pitch by reliever Chad Green that bounced off the blue wall in the left field corner for a two-run shot that put the Mets back out in front 6-5. Kevin Pillar would get some needed insurance on a RBI single that scored Baez with runners on the corners in the bottom of the seventh. 

That would be it for the Mets offensively as the bats once again went silent. Their best chance to do anything in the late stages came in the eighth inning with two runners aboard when Pete Alonso skied to center field off a pitch by Albert Abreu for the final out. 

The Mets (71-72) remain five back of the Braves in the NL East. The Yankees (79-63) are now tied with the Blue Jays for the final wild card in the American League.