By Rich Mancuso/Sports Editor
Mark Teixeira hit a three-run home run in the second inning that put the New York Yankees in the lead over the Mets Wednesday night in the Bronx. That was the beginning of more drama to come as game three of this annual interleague series between the cross town rivals shifted from Citi Field to Yankee Stadium.
The Yankees with a 9-5 win have taken two of the first three games in the series. The finale is Thursday evening in the Bronx, and more importantly the Mets now realize they need to get a split as their chances for a second straight division title continue to dwindle.
More drama for the Mets as Yoenis Cespedes, with an injured quad was put on the 15-day disabled list after striking out in the ninth inning. He seemed to be in pain and the official decision to put him on the DL came after rumors and denials.
Then it became official, as Cespedes said through an interpreter, “The best option is to rest for 10-days.”
The drama with Cespedes continues as the Mets best run producer, who has been nursing the injured quad, and an avid golf player, was seen earlier in the day on a social media post sitting in a cart after playing a few rounds at a high profiled facility in the New York area.
The Mets denied his injury had been aggravated by the golf game, regardless without him in the lineup their chances get slimmer by the day to make up ground on the first place Washington Nationals who have opened up an 8-½ game lead in the division.
Said Mets manager Terry Collins, “We’ll go out and get a real good pitching performance and the next night we’ll give up four or five. One night we’ll hit four homers and the next night we leave the bases loaded.”
Teixeira was involved in most of the drama after the home run. The Mets could never recover and once again failed to drive in runs when they had opportunities to do so. Wilmer Flores, playing at short for the injured Asdrubal Cabrera hit into two of three double plays that stopped potential scoring opportunities for the Mets.
Steven Matz, (8-8) started and took the loss. His six innings of work were not effective, six runs and that one to Teixeira that sparked more drama.
Teixeira in his next at bat in the fifth was drilled in the leg off a pitch from Matz. Both benches emptied and there were no ejections of players. But it sparked drama, in a series that never seems to lack since it inception in 1996.
Teixeira yelled and said to Matz, “Are you kidding me. He explained that there were no hard feelings and Matz denied the pitch was intentional.
“I know Matz is a good kid,” said Teixeira. “I like him a lot. I’ve talked to him a few times, but listen, when you hit a home run and the next pitch is not even close to the plate and hits you, it just looks bad. If it was on purpose, it’s uncalled for. If it wasn’t, it just looked really bad.”
Later in the game, Teixeira had Mets reliever Hansel Robles in a mind game type of situation.Catcher Rene Rivera dispatched himself twice to the mound to talk with Robles, and so did Kelly Johnson from third and Flores at short.
Robles claimed Teixeira was stealing his signals from second, and Teixeira said it was a mind game. Whatever the cause, it was more drama and another bad night for the Mets as they went 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
Said Robles through an interpreter: “I got a little upset. That’s not the way you play baseball. You have to play baseball as a man.” Collins said his pitcher should have adapted and dispatched his catcher to the mound.
“Forget about it,” was the comment Rivera said to Robles. “Just pitch and throw the ball.”
Teixeira who is one of the Yankees that won’t return next season was a part of the continued drama. He said that it was not stealing signals and all a part of having fun as momentum was shifting to the Yankees.
“That was funny, “ he said. “After three or four pitches, I realized that he’s like staring at me and he thinks I have his signs. So I just starting having some fun with him. I didn’t have his signs. I was breathing. It got worse and worse and he kept staring at me more and yelling stuff.”
He added, “So I just kind of started having some fun. I’ve never got inside someone’s head just standing there. It’s a talent, I guess.”
But the main concern now is the health of Yoenis Cespedes, and the Mets losing more ground in their quest for another division title as they conclude their series with the Yankees Thursday night.
Comment Rich Mancuso: Ring786@aol.com Twitter@Ring786 Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso
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