Good teams win the games they should win, and the Yankees certainly looked the part early this week. In a three-game set against the lowly Rockies, New York swept ‘em winning by multiple runs in all three contests. Solid ball over the last month has allowed the Yankees to stay within striking distance in the East, and maintain a healthy lead in the American League’s crowded wild card race.
After their set with the last-place squad in the NL West, they’ll continue a gettable stretch by hosting the fourth-place
team in the East, the Mets. While the Mets have been playing better baseball of late, the Bombers will have every chance to take a couple of games in the Subway Series.
Friday: Carlos Rodón vs. Nolan McLean (7:05 p.m. EST)
The series opens with the Yankees sending Carlos Rodón to the bump, set to make his 14th start of the 2026 season. After a bumpy patch through the middle of June, the lefty has been excellent since returning on August 18th, a stretch that has seen him pitch to the tune of a 2.55 ERA in four starts, while striking out 18 batters in 17.2 innings. On the whole, the 33-year-old has put together a very solid fourth season in pinstripes when healthy, and will undoubtedly be a significant part of his team’s October run. He’ll look to continue his solid post-injury run on Friday.
He’ll square off with the Mets’ excellent rookie Nolan McLean. After an impressive eight-start debut in 2025, the righty has backed it up with a 3.06 ERA in over 160 innings this season. Relying mostly on his sinker and a pair of breaking balls to get the job done, the righty has been dominant over his last five outings, allowing just four earned runs in 31 stellar innings of work. He has also completed at least six innings in 13 of his last 14 outings, so the Mets will likely be leaning heavily on their talented young starter in this one.
Saturday: Gerrit Cole vs. Zac Thornton (1:35 p.m. EST)
Saturday will see Gerrit Cole taking the mound, hoping to bounce back from what has been a rough few starts. He still is posting a respectable season, despite missed time to start the year, with a 3.70 FIP in 11 innings. But, over his last three outings, the six-time All-Star has surrendered 10 earned runs in 18.1 innings. His most recent was the worst of the bunch, a seven-inning start in which he gave up four solo homers to the Padres. The Cole Train will look to get back on the rails in the second game of the series.
The Mets are slated to start a second consecutive rookie this weekend, with lefty Zac Thornton getting the nod on Saturday. He made his debut on May 20th this season, and has been a solid addition to the rotation much of the way through. His worst outing, however, was his latest, when he gave up six earned runs to the Giants, including four long balls. Both starters on Saturday will be trying to shake the homer bug.
Sunday: Cam Schlittler vs. Christian Scott (1:35 p.m. EST)
The Subway Series will conclude with Cy Young favorite Cam Schlittler on the mound. As if the righty needed much to bolster his case, he’s allowed one run or less in each of his last six starts, and with another good outing on Saturday, could drop his ERA below 2.00 for the season. Schlittler has been a treat to watch in 2026, and he’ll be in prime position to keep the good times rolling to close out the season. He most recently struck out ten in seven strong innings against the Rockies.
Right-hander Christian Scott will close things out for the Mets on Sunday. In his most substantial big league season to date, he’s been good, striking out nearly 28 percent of opposing batters across 21 starts for the Metropolitans. In his most recent outing, against the Giants, Scott failed to complete five innings, allowing a pair of earned runs to score, though he did strike out seven in the start. With Judge back and the Yankees coming off of a sweep Scott and the entire Mets staff could very well have their hands full in the weekend series.
