Mets Flex Bullpen Muscle in Subway Series Clash

The calendar might read July, but last night's Subway Series Clash felt like October as the Mets held off the Yankees 3-2 in the Bronx on Tuesday night. And at the center of the storm was Mets reliever Jake Diekman, who got the ball for the ninth inning due to the fact that closer Edwin Diaz was unavailable. All Diekman had to do was close out a game while facing the likes of Juan Soto, Aaron Judge, and Ben Rice. No sweat (eye-roll). Yet, Diekman - who entered the contest with an ERA over five, found a way through hit. He got Trent Grisham to fly out to deep center and pitched around Soto for a walk. Next up: Aaron Judge as the potential winning run. Diekman worked the count to 2-2 before freezing Judge on an inside fastball for strike three to send the game's most valuable player back to the dugout stunned. https://twitter.com/SNYtv/status/1815935134731739444 Finally, Diekman closed it out by jamming Ben Rice into a sharp grounder to second to solidify a 3-2 Mets victory. "It's a win, especially after last night getting in a six. Go back to sleep, come back to tomorrow, try to sleep in. It's a really good team win," Diekman said afterwards. https://twitter.com/SNYtv/status/1815939628089667802 Jeff McNeil The Mets scratched out a slim 3-1 lead thanks to a two-run blast by Jeff McNeil in the top of the sixth inning, as the once-scuffling second baseman lifted a Michael Tonkin pitch into the right field bullpen. McNeil extended his right hand into the air as he rounded second base with his second home run in as many games. https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1815913427963154623 McNeil has really struggled this year, hitting as low as .213 as recently as July 2. He has even found himself in a mini-platoon with Jose Iglesias at second. However, in his last eight games, McNeil has hit safely in six of them, including blasting four homers and driving in 11. Perhaps he's turned the corner. YANKEES ISSUES The Yankees' issues continue to persist. New York left 11 runners on base and were 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Light-hitting JD Davis was hitting cleanup behind Judge before manager Aaron Boone removed him late in the contest for Ben Rice. The Yankees are 11-22 since an 11-5 win over the Kansas City Royals on June 12. With the trade deadline less than a week away. It will be fascinating to see what move Brian Cashman makes to shake things up for the slumping Bombers. MORE METS MORE YANKEES