Yankee Talk: Subway Series Edition – Bay-side high

Bay’s four hits help pace Mets past Hughes, Yanks

FLUSHING – Nothing is worse for a pitcher than giving up a run when men are in scoring position and there are two outs.

Just ask Phil Hughes.

Four times during the game, Hughes had a chance to escape an inning without giving up a run.

All four times, the Mets got a key two-out run scoring hit to swing momentum.

Those key hits, along with a combination of strong pitching by Mets starter Mike Pelfrey and three innings of solid relief paced the Orange and Blue to a 5-3 victory in the second game of the weekend series in front of 41,343 at Citi Field.

The Yankees had their chances, but continued their struggles with runners in scoring position for the second straight day going 1-for-12, stranding seven runners on base after the seventh inning.

Scoring those runs would have taken Hughes off the hook, but instead the results gave the Yankee right-hander his first loss of the season (5-1) as the team lost for the fourth time in the last five games.

After the Yankees did not score after mounting a two-out rally in the first, Hughes was on the verge of cruising to a 1-2-3 inning of his own. He got the first two outs before Jason Bay doubled and Ike Davis walked. With the struggling David Wright up and a 2-2, Hughes cutter came toward the middle of the plate and Wright sliced it to center for an RBI single to give the Mets the early lead. Angel Pagan would then follow with a shallow single to left to score Davis from second to increase the lead to 2-0.

In the bottom of the third, Hughes once again got the first two outs but then gave up another single and walk to Bay and Davis. Wright came up with his second run-scoring hit of the day when another single to center to give the Mets a three-run lead.

With the lead, Pelfrey went to work, shutting down the Yankees for five shutout innings. In the sixth, the offense mounted a rally of their own after the first two were out.

Robinson Cano singled and Nick Swisher would follow with a double. Francisco Cervelli would then reach on an infield single off the glove of Pelfrey to score Cano and put the Yankees on the board.

At 3-1, Hughes once again was an out away for keeping the score within reach. Pagan led off with a double, but after he got Rod Barajas to ground out and struck out Jeff Francoeur, Alex Cora would deliver a single through the hole on the right side of the infield to give the Mets a 4-1 cushion and end Hughes’ night.

The 117 pitch out was Hughes’ longest of the season, giving up four runs (all earned), eight hits, walking three and striking out seven to increase his ERA to 2.72.

Pelfrey countered with six strong innings, giving up a run on six hits, walking two and striking out five over 108 pitches.

To begin the seventh, the Yankees got the first two men on for the heart of the order against reliever Jenrry Mejia. However, Brett Gardner grounded out and Mark Teixeira struck out on a nasty sinking fastball. With two outs, Alex Rodriguez would ground out to third ending the threat and allowing the Mets to counter by coming through with another two-out RBI shit, this time again by Pagan, who would double to left scoring Bay to make it 5-1.

The Yankees mounted their best comeback attempt in the eighth when with lefty Pedro Feliciano in the game; they would load the bases with no one out.

Cano had singled to center and Nick Swisher reached on a hit batsmen. Cervelli would then single to right to bring the tying run to the plate.

Pinch hitter Juan Miranda struck out, but Kevin Russo worked a walk after being down 0-2 to score a run. This brought Francisco Rodriguez came out of the bullpen for a five-out save, only the second time he has done that this season.

Derek Jeter would reach on a fielder’s choice to score another run to cut the deficit to 5-3, but Gardner would ground out sharply to third, ending the threat.

Rodriguez worked himself into trouble in the ninth. After Teixeira struck out again, Rodriguez would single to left. Cano then grounded out to the mound and Swisher singled to right to put the tying runs aboard with Cervelli representing the go-ahead run. However, the Mets Rodriguez struck him out on a breaking ball to end the game.

With the series even, the rubber match will pit both teams’ aces. CC Sabathia starts for the Yankees and Johan Santana starts for the Mets.