The good news for the Yankees and Mets is they both can’t lose their next series.
Amid injuries and underperformance that have threatened to wreck the New York clubs’ seasons, the Subway Series will go on.
The Yankees have dropped two straight series and look like a different team without their best slugger. The Mets have dropped eight of nine games and look like a different team without their best slugger.
The injured Aaron Judge and Pete Alonso, both of whom had home run records in their far-off sights, will be watching a two-game set at Citi Field that begins Tuesday and features far more star power on the mound than at the plate. The Mets will hope Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander finally get in a groove, while the Yankees will counter with Luis Severino and Gerrit Cole.
A scuffling Yankees offense has managed 17 runs in its past six games (2.8 per contest), all without Judge. The Mets’ pitching has been their bigger recent problem, registering a 6.75 ERA on their failed six-game road trip.
The Post takes a look at how the Yankees and Mets match up for a brief Subway Series:
At the plate
Getting on base: At full health, perhaps the Yankees will play like the disciplined Yankees again. But a club that was the fourth-best in reaching base last season (.325 on-base percentage) entered MLB action Monday as the fourth-worst (.301). Anthony Volpe (.260) and DJ LeMahieu (.297) have been particular and surprising weak spots. Among the healthy players in the series, no one has been better at getting on base than Brandon Nimmo (.374), who leads a Mets club that has been middle of the pack (.319) in reaching base.
Edge: Mets
Power: Injuries have wiped out what would have been a fun Judge-versus-Alonso debate. Anthony Rizzo and Gleyber Torres’ big bats (22 combined home runs) are the biggest difference-makers in pinstripes, though Rizzo is mired in a 1-for-30 skid. The two Franciscos — Francisco Alvarez and Francisco Lindor (24 combined homers) — lead the Mets. The Yankees hope Josh Donaldson’s bat is coming alive and have seen progress from Willie Calhoun, while the Mets hope Starling Marte can rediscover his power stroke and have seen progress from Tommy Pham. The current Yankees are heavier on fliers, the current Mets heavier on experience.
Edge: Mets
On the basepaths
The Mets have been the best team in baseball in stealing bases efficiently, successful 89 percent of the time — and have been among the worst teams in baseball in making outs on the basepaths (23 this season), carelessly running themselves into poor situations. Volpe has stolen 14 bases without being caught, his primary value emerging in his baserunning acumen. But the rookie is balanced out by Torres, who has been caught stealing five times, which is one off the league lead. We’ll give the edge to the team that makes fewer mistakes.
Edge: Yankees
In the field
Infield: The Yankees are far stronger at the corners, where Rizzo erases mistakes and Donaldson, who should have a Gold Glove by now, rarely makes them. Amid offensive struggles, Lindor is still excellent and better than Volpe with the glove. At second base, there is not a great difference between Torres and Jeff McNeil/Eduardo Escobar.
Edge: Yankees
Outfield: Marte has looked every bit of his 34 years, but the Mets’ problems here cannot compare with their counterparts. The Yankees’ roster contains one natural healthy outfielder in Billy McKinney — who, because of the state of the group, has been forced into center field for the first time in his major league career. Otherwise, the Yankees are playing natural infielders such as Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Jake Bauers and Oswaldo Cabrera in the outfield, while the slow-footed Calhoun gets defensively replaced as soon as possible and Giancarlo Stanton is solely a DH at the moment.
Edge: Mets
Bench: On a given day, the Yankees will sit one of LeMahieu, Torres or Donaldson, the odd man out a strong pinch-hitter. On a given day, the Mets will sit Mark Canha or Pham, the odd man out a strong pinch-hitter. Luis Guillorme and Cabrera are similar, useful, light-hitting pieces. In part because of a lack of star-power, both teams will try to mix and match late, with Kiner-Falefa and Mark Vientos hunting opposing lefties.
Edge: Even
On the mound
Rotation: Prefer upside or 2023 performance? Gerrit Cole (2.84 ERA) has been the best pitcher on either club. Luis Severino (5.75 ERA) has been a mess in his past two starts after missing time with a strained lat. Neither Mets aging superstar has pitched like a superstar, but Scherzer (3.71) has looked closer to his vintage self than Verlander (4.85). Both three-time Cy Young winners, though, have always bounced back, which is what the Mets are counting on.
Edge: Mets
Bullpen: The Yankees bullpen’s 2.76 ERA is the best in MLB. Clay Holmes has allowed one run in his past 18 ¹/₃ innings. Michael King is a unique weapon. Wandy Peralta has held lefties to an .029 batting average. Ron Marinaccio is often unhittable. Tommy Kahnle has looked strong so far. For the Mets (4.34 bullpen ERA), David Robertson has been dominant, and Brooks Raley and Jeff Brigham have stepped up. But there have been too many cracks among Adam Ottavino, Drew Smith and a revolving door of middle-inning men.
Edge: Yankees
Manager: Neither Aaron Boone nor Buck Showalter is to blame for his club’s current predicament. They did not hurt their best hitters. Boone shows more fire on the field, having been ejected an AL-most four times this season, while Showalter recently has been more vocal behind the scenes, calling a closed-door meeting this weekend during the Mets’ skid.
Edge: Even
Intangibles
Both clubs enter refreshed after Monday’s off day, and the Mets will be happy to be home after six straight on the road. There is probably more pressure on the Mets, who are spiraling with a record payroll from which Steve Cohen expects more. As rough a situation as the Yankees find themselves in, they still would be a playoff team if the season ended today.
Edge: Yankees
