Mets Beat Rivera & Yankees, Now 2-0 vs. Bombers

METS 2
YANKEES 1

Saying that there hasn't much to celebrate for the New York Mets this season is the understatement of the year. New York has languished near the bottom of the National League all season, and with so many of its star players struggling, it has been easy to question the long range plans of the franchise.

However over the last two nights, the Mets have put forth the kind of effort, zest and passion fans have been waiting for all season.

On Tuesday night, the Mets won another nail-biter against the New York Yankees, this time off the bat of David Wright and Lucas Duda in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Greatest Closer of All Time, Mariano Rivera.

Once Rivera entered the game, the Mets greeted the Hall of Famer rudely. Daniel Murphy, who has been red hot with the bat in recent weeks launched a ground rule double to left to start the inning. David Wright followed with a single, but the throw by center fielder Brett Gardner was air mailed, allowing Murphy to come home with the tying run.

Then, it was up to Lucas Duda. Duda has been putrid all season -- his batting average down to .235 with only 16 RBI on the season. He has not only been a defensively liability for the Mets in left field, Duda is quickly become a liability at the plate.

He had a chance to do some damage on the Yankees in Game 1, but went 0-4 with a couple of big strikeouts with runners on base. Tonight was different. Duda slapped a single into right field, allowing Wright to come chugging home from second for the game winning run.

For Duda it was sweet redemption.

For the Mets, it was sweet redemption to quiet their critics -- for now -- grabbing two games against a Yankees team that is not only in first place in the American League East, but has been on fire themselves.

Matt Harvey silenced the Yankees for much of the evening. He matched zeros with Hiroki Kuroda all night until the sixth inning. Harvey scattered eight hits and a run with ten strikeouts in eight innings. The Mets ace remains unbeaten, even though he didn't get the win tonight.

The Mets and Yankees now turn their attention to Yankee Stadium to continue this four game home-and-home series. The Mets would love nothing better than to take at least one of these two and finish with a winning record in the Subway Series in 2013.

Did we say redemption?