Peralta vs Rodriguez set for Subway Series decider

NEW YORK: The New York Mets may not have fully recovered from their rough start to the season, but Saturday night showed they still have some fight left in them.

They’ll try to finish their home series on a positive note Sunday afternoon when they face the New York Yankees in the deciding game of the first Subway Series of the year.

The Mets are expected to start Freddy Peralta (3-3, 3.10 ERA), while the Yankees will go with Elmer Rodriguez (0-1, 5.19 ERA).

On Saturday, the Mets tied the series with a 6-3 win. Mark Vientos drove in three runs, and Luke Weaver helped close things out with six key outs under pressure.

The Mets are now 4-1 during this homestand, which is a bright spot despite their struggles this season. They are still last in the NL East with a 19-26 record and dealing with a long list of injuries—seven players from their Opening Day roster are currently on the injured list.

Things got even tougher earlier when pitcher Clay Holmes suffered a broken right fibula after being hit by a line drive in Friday’s game. Manager Carlos Mendoza said the clubhouse was shaken by the news.

But Saturday’s win helped lift the team’s mood. The Mets used five pitchers to limit the Yankees to nine hits, while forcing Yankees pitchers to throw a lot of pitches overall.

Luke Weaver came in during a big moment with the bases loaded and the Mets leading 5-3 in the seventh inning. He got out of the jam and continued pitching well into the eighth.

Manager Mendoza said the team showed they still have enough talent to turn the season around despite all the setbacks.

For the Yankees, the loss was another disappointment. They’ve now lost two straight series and have struggled lately, scoring three runs or fewer in seven of their last ten games.

Even though they lead the American League in runs scored, they haven’t won a game this season when scoring fewer than four runs since late April.

On Saturday, they wasted several scoring chances, leaving 11 runners on base and struggling badly with runners in scoring position. Their final five batters were quickly retired in just a few pitches.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said they had chances to win the game but couldn’t get the key hit when it mattered.

Looking ahead, Freddy Peralta comes into Sunday’s game in good form after pitching six strong innings in his last start. Elmer Rodriguez, recently called up from Triple-A to replace injured Max Fried, will make only his third major league start.