Mets unable to solve Cam Schlittler in 5-2 loss to Yankees

Here are the takeaways...

-Schlittler dominated the Mets as he continued to make an early case for being an AL Cy Young Award favorite.

The righthander allowed one run, on a Juan Soto home run in the seventh inning, and only two hits as he pitched 6.2 innings, coming out at 106 pitches after walking Brett Baty.

Schlittler attacked Mets’ hitters mostly with his 97-mph fastball, as has been his style, racking up nine strikeouts. His ERA stayed at 1.35.

-Clay Holmes didn’t have the form that had made him one of the top starters in the majors, as he struggled with his command and wound up going only 4 1/3 innings, his shortest outing of the season. By then, he’d already thrown 95 pitches.

The righthander allowed four runs on seven hits and two walks, and he was also hit on the foot by a line drive from Spencer Jones in the fourth inning that seemed to contribute to his command problems. He appeared to be limping slightly as he headed to the dugout after being taken out of the game.

With the poor start, Holmes’ ERA jumped from 1.86 to 2.39.

Holmes’ lack of sharpness cost him in the third inning, where he couldn’t get his sinker down. Ben Rice, Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Jazz Chisolm Jr. delivered four straight hits, three of them on mistake-sinkers about thigh-high or so, and the Yankees scored three runs to take a 3-0 lead.

Rice and Judge each singled to right off sinkers. Bellinger then showcased his two-strike hitting ability, going down to get a 1-2 curveball at his ankles and hook it down the right field line to put the Yankees ahead. Chisholm, hitting only .203 on the season, then got a middle-middle sinker on a 1-0 count and hooked it down the right field line for a two-run double.

In the fourth, the Yankees were perhaps one hit from blowing the game open, with Judge at the plate and the bases loaded, two outs.

Holmes threw a first-pitch sweeper, slower than usual at 81 mph, and though he left it in the middle of the plate, Judge was fooled and out in front, popping a routine fly high to right field to keep the game at 3-0.

The Mets had one chance to get back in the game, in the seventh inning. After Soto took Schlittler deep for a home run to left-center, cutting the lead to 4-1, the Mets put runners on first and second with two outs, and rookie sensation AJ Ewing at the plate against reliever Fernando Cruz.

Ewing got ahead in the count 2-0, but after fouling off a fastball, he was a bit out in front on another fastball, making contact toward the end of the bat as his fly ball died in medium right field, an easy play for Judge.

-Soto’s home run was the 250th of his career. It was also only the second long ball that Schlitter has given up all season.

The home run was also notable in that Soto appeared as if he may have injured himself in his previous at-bat. As he struck out against Schlittler in the fourth, he maneuvered his right arm, putting it behind his back as if something was bothering him with either his hand or his arm.

But he stayed in the game in left field and then went deep in his next at-bat.

-Rice hit his 14th home run of the season, off Craig Kimbrel in the ninth inning.

Game MVP: Cam Schlittler

The Yankees’ young star mostly took the air out of the building at Citi Field with his dominance of the Mets’ lineup. He is putting up some spectacular numbers this season: coming into the game, according to OptaStats, he was the first major leaguer to record a sub-1.50 ERA, at least 50 K’s, fewer than 10 walks, and one or zero home runs over his first nine starts since Walter Johnson in 1913.

Highlights

What's next

The Subway Series continues on Saturday night with first pitch scheduled for 7:15 p.m. on FOX.

The Mets have not announced their starter, but the Yankees are going with LHP Carlos Rodon (0-0, 6.23 ERA) who is making his second start of the season.