The Yankees (53-52) are 5 1/2 games behind the American League’s two wild-card leaders – the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays – but they continued to rebuild by trading outfielder Carlos Beltran to the Texas Rangers for three prospects and right-handed pitcher Ivan Nova to the Pittsburgh Pirates for two players to be named.
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Flores hit a solo homer in the second to give the Mets a 1-0 lead before the Ellsbury raced home on a wild pitch in the fourth. Didi Gregorious made Reed pay by dunking a two run single into left field, just in front of Conforto, to tie the game at five.
Brett Gardner almost got the Yanks on the scoreboard immediately, tripling off the wall in center before getting thrown out attempting to stretch his leadoff hit against Mets starter Logan Verrett into an inside-the-park home run.
New York Yankees Jacoby Ellsbury (22) scores on Starlin Castro’s sacrifice fly in the 10th inning of an interleague baseball game against the New York Mets, Monday, Aug. 1, 2016, in New York. “It’s going to be tough… but we have the guys in here to battle and try to get back in this thing”.
The trade for Bruce should help a Mets offense that often struggles, while the Yankees dealing Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller and Beltran robbed the team of its best players. “We’re very excited by what we got”. Betances put runners on second and third in the 10th before striking out Curtis Granderson swinging to end the game.
Verrett has not earned a win since a scoreless relief appearance against Cincinnati on April 26 but has been solid since rejoining the rotation early in July.
Flores, of course, also had clubbed a memorable home run on deadline day one year ago, ripping a game-winning blast in the 12th inning for a 2-1 win against Washington – two days after he’d cried in the field when he believed he was on the verge of being traded. He allowed three runs in five innings. The Yankees’ eighth inning rally started when Gardner drew a walk against Mets’ lefty Jerry Blevins. Neil Walker took the cutoff in shallow center and his throw beat a sliding Gardner at the plate by a step. As a result, manager Terry Collins had to use pitcher Steven Matz to pinch-hit in the sixth inning. To replace traded LHP Antonio Bastardo on the roster, the Mets recalled INF Matt Reynolds from Triple-A Las Vegas. Brett Gardner’s two-out double brought home Rob Refsnyder from second base to make it 2-1. Alejandro De Aza moved from left field to center, and Michael Conforto entered in left. Reynolds started at shortstop after Asdrubal Cabrera sustained a strained patellar tendon in his left knee Sunday against Colorado.
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Yankees RHP Masahiro Tanaka (7-3, 3.16 ERA) starts Tuesday night at Citi Field against Jacob deGrom (6-5, 2.56), who is 0-2 with a 5.25 ERA in two career starts vs. the Bronx Bombers.
