NEW YORK _ Mets manager Mickey Callaway shook up his lineup for Game 2 of the Subway Series on Saturday night. It worked like a charm initially as the Mets scored three runs in the bottom of the first after having scored three runs in their previous 51 innings.
And then the Mets' bats went back to sleep for the rest of the game.
Steven Matz was unable to keep the powerful Yankees down for long. A solo home run by Gleyber Torres in the third and a two-run shot by fellow rookie Miguel Andujar in the sixth tied the score heading into the late innings.
Tied with the Yankees heading into the late innings probably is not where the Mets wanted to be.
Aaron Judge opened the eighth inning with his 18th homer, a high drive over the left-field wall on the first pitch thrown by Anthony Swarzak, to give the Yankees their first lead of the night. It was the only one they would need in a 4-3 victory before a sellout crowd of 43,603 at Citi Field.
The Yankees, who have won nine of their last 10, are 6-0 against the Mets in the last two seasons. They are 33-9 since their 9-9 start. The Mets have lost eight in a row for the first time since 2004, when their losing streak eventually reached 11 games. They have lost 13 of their last 15 games and have a 10-game losing streak at home.
The game started in comical fashion. Aaron Hicks rocketed an extra-base hit to the right-center field gap, and as Michael Conforto chased the ball to the wall, Hicks churned around the bases, probably thinking triple. But the ball disappeared through an open door in the outfield fence that led to the Yankees' bullpen. Someone had forgotten to close the door before the game began, and the umpires awarded Hicks a ground-rule double.
Two out later, Hicks was picked off second base by Matz.
The Mets rode their rebuilt lineup to three runs in the first off rookie Domingo German.
New leadoff man Amed Rosario fouled out, but 2017 Yankee Todd Frazier gave the Mets a 1-0 lead with his sixth home run. Brandon Nimmo followed with a triple into the right-field corner. He got to trot home _ though given Nimmo's hustle, he probably sprinted _ when Asdrubal Cabrera hit a two-run homer into the Yankees' bullpen (door closed by now). It was his 11th home run.
But the Mets' offensive outburst ended there. After giving up three runs to the first four batters, German pitched shutout ball for the next 5 2/3 innings. He gave up five hits, didn't walk a batter and struck out nine in six innings.
Adding injury to insult, the Mets found out during the game that Yoenis Cespedes left his rehab assignment for Double-A Binghamton after two at-bats _ both doubles _ because of tightness in his right quadriceps. He will be re-evaluated on Sunday.
The Yankees got a run back in the third on Torres' 11th home run. It was his eighth homer in his last 19 games.
Matz wiggled out of trouble in the fifth, when an inexplicable four-pitch walk to German helped the Yankees load the bases with two outs. But Matz got Judge to ground out to Cabrera to maintain the 3-1 lead.
That changed quickly in the sixth. Matz walked Gary Sanchez with one out and then hung a curveball to Andujar, who unleashed his eighth home run to tie the score at 3.
In six innings, Matz wound up allowing three runs, five hits and four walks in six innings, striking out six.
Callaway, who had Robert Gsellman warming in the sixth, called on his best reliever in the seventh. But he chose not to double-switch Gsellman into the game, leaving him as the third batter in the bottom of the seventh.
That turned out to be an issue when Adrian Gonzalez led off the inning with an opposite-field double off David Robertson. Kevin Plawecki struck out and Callaway sent up rookie Luis Guillorme to bat for Gsellman. Guillorme lined out to center and the inning ended when Rosario bounced to short.
With Gsellman out of the game, Swarzak started the eighth with a hanging curve. Judge issued his verdict on that pitch and the Yankees had a 4-3 lead.
Dellin Betances struck out the side in a perfect eighth. Aroldis Chapman, who is pitching with a sore left knee, picked up his second save in two nights and 17th overall.
Chapman walked Jay Bruce to open the ninth and struck out pinch hitters Devin Mesoraco and Jose Bautista before walking Kevin Plawecki.
Callaway called on Jose Reyes, the last position player on his bench, to bat for pitcher Jerry Blevins. Reyes, who came into the at-bat hitting .141, fouled off the first three pitches before lining out to Judge in right to end the game.
