The Yankees and Mets will play one more game in the Bronx on Wednesday. The Yankees have lost their three meetings with the Mets thus far this season.
Gil gets slider tips from Sevy, then leans on revamped pitch vs. Mets
Luis Gil stood atop the Yankee Stadium mound in the fifth inning on Tuesday, feet spread wide across the rubber, the bases full of Mets. The young right-hander refused to wilt, exuding confidence that he could escape. He had a new and trustworthy weapon on his side.
After Gil was touched up by the Mets on June 26 at Citi Field, he sought out a former teammate, leaning upon Luis Severino for advice on how to better grip his slider. Severino delivered the goods in a series of video messages, helping Gil to harness a pitch that he leaned upon heavily in the Yankees’ 3-2 Subway Series loss to the Mets.
“The last start against us, the breaking pitches were not that good,” Severino said on Tuesday. “I just gave him some tips. The one that I’m throwing now has been really good. He went to the bullpen, he tried, and he told me after that it’s been unbelievable. So I’m really happy for him.”
Gil limited the Mets to one run across five innings, striking out six, before Jeff McNeil hit a two-run homer off Michael Tonkin in the sixth inning that held up as the deciding run. The Yankees have lost all three meetings with the Mets this season, with the clubs set to play one more game on Wednesday in the Bronx.
The 26-year-old Gil was dominant through his first 14 starts, going 9-1 with a 2.03 ERA through June 14, but he ran aground with a trio of bumpy starts against the Orioles, Mets and Reds, in which he allowed 16 runs across 9 2/3 innings.
With the assistance of Severino’s grip, Gil regained momentum with nine strikeouts against the Red Sox on July 7, then another seven facing the Orioles on July 13 in Baltimore.
“[The slider] has definitely gotten bigger while keeping the velo,’’ catcher Austin Wells raved after the Baltimore start. “He just added a third plus-pitch to his arsenal, and it’s only going to make him better.’’
With Severino watching from the opposing dugout, Gil used Tuesday’s start as an opportunity to showcase his improvements. For a second consecutive start, Gil threw more sliders (40) than fastballs (31), also mixing in 20 changeups. He generated five swings-and-misses and eight called strikes with the slider, including using it as a finishing pitch for four strikeouts.
“I showed him how to manipulate it, and after that, it seems like he’s been really nasty,” Severino said. “I don’t know how he didn’t make the All-Star Game. He’s having a great season. Hopefully he can continue to do that.”
