Game 102: Rays (Little) at Yankees (Rodon) 1:05 pm EDT

The Mets come in to begin a 2-game series starting 7:07 pm on YES.

Lefty Jose Quintana, who has excellent career numbers against the Yanks, but has beaten them just once since he got traded to the Cubs in 2017 goes for the Mets. He's having an OK season so far, 4-6 in the first half with a 4.13 ERA. The Yanks will be starting Luis Gil looking for revenge against a Mets team that knocked around in the 2nd of his 3 bad starts in a row, giving up 4 hits, 4 BB and 5 runs in 4 1/3 innings, on his way to taking the loss in 12-2 humiliating rout that gave the Mets an embarrassing sweep of the 2 games in Queens. Gil will be looking to throw his 3rd great start in a row after changing his pitch mix to feature an improved slider. He's currently 10-5 on the season with a 3.17 ERA

The 2nd game is 7:07 pm, and it's not the Prime Delayed Video Lame of the Week, but it is unfortunately an ESPNMakeMeWantToUpchuckCast™ midweek special. Lefty Sean Manaea goes for the Mets. He's having a good bounceback season, 6-4 with a 3.73 ERA, and threw 5 scoreless innings, dancing around 5 walks and two hits, winding up with the W in 12-2 beating Gil took at Citifield last month. The Yanks will send out Gerrit Cole, also looking for revenge against the Mets and for his own 3rd great start in row. In the game at Citifield, 2nd start off the IL, he had nothing and took the L, the Mets hammering him for 4 home runs and 6 runs in 4 innings, building 9-1 lead before the Yanks tried raillied late and still lost 9-7.

Series preview done, I'll check later notifications now.

Maybe it was the Rays' weak lineup, but they've killed lefties this year, and Rodon really looked like the Rodon of 2021-2022 today. He was...dare I say it? (Dare, dare!!)...great today.

Maybe this the first step to Rodon turning things around? One can hope. 

This comes under the prognosticational heading of, yes, one can hope, but really: 

Maaaaaan, I've been saying that about most of this team after a rare strong performance for most of the last several weeks. But maybe this time?

you .. you lied to me

I think we are on the same page. As a fan, I get frustrated sometimes and may even make comments that may be made in the heat of the moment that I later regret but I try not to stay away from comments about players being lazy, not trying, and things like that. Never played at a level near what these guys do but even at the levels I have played, I think I understand most sports are hard and you can't be successful all the time.