Yankees vs Mets pitching matchups for Subway Series at Yankee Stadium

The final meeting of the annual Subway Series begins tonight with the Yankees' turn to host the Mets for a two-game set in the Bronx.

After a tumultuous ending to the first half, the Yankees started the second half with a split in four-game series versus the Rays. It was a complete performance with home runs from unlikely sources in D.J. LeMahieu, Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells, as well as slugger Juan Soto crushed his 24th and 25th home runs of the year, the sixth-most in MLB and his fourth multi-homer game in Pinstripes.

Carlos Rodon also looked like how he started the regular season, going seven strong innings, giving up only two hits on one solo home run with a season-high 10 strikeouts in arguably his best start so far in 2024 in the 9-1 victory over the Rays in the series finale on Monday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.

The Mets are also coming off of a four-game split, after a 6-4 victory over the Marlins in the series finale in Miami as they continue to battle for a playoff position with ace Kodai Senga set to make his first start of the MLB season versus the Braves on Friday at Citi Field.

In the first edition of the Subway Series, it was all Mets as they outscored the Yankees 21-9 in the two-game sweep in Queens less than a month ago on June 25 and 26.

With the Yankees battling for an American League East crown and the Mets fighting for a spot in the playoffs, these two outcomes could certainly be a deciding factor in a division tile or postseason berth.

Here are the pitching matchups for the Yankees and Mets Subway Series battle in the Bronx:

Yankees vs Mets pitching matchups for Subway Series

Tuesday, 7:05 p.m., YES/SNY: RHP Luis Gil (10-5, 3.17 ERA) vs. LHP Jose Quintana (4-6, 4.13 ERA)

Wednesday, 7 p.m., ESPN: RHP Gerrit Cole (3-1, 4.60 ERA) vs. LHP Sean Manaea (6-4, 3.73 ERA)

Analysis: After suffering four straight losses, Gil finally got back in the win column for the first time since June 14 with a 6-1 victory over the Orioles last Saturday. For a second consecutive start, he gave up only one run and has a 16:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio over his previous 12 2/3 innings pitched.

Gil did face the Mets in the previous Subway Series iteration and was roughed up, surrendering five runs and more walks (4) than strikeouts (2) in 4 1/3 innings in the Mets' dominant 12-2 victory.

Taking the mound for the Mets will be Quintana, who's making his 20th start of the season. The veteran southpaw will look to get back on track, as he had his worst start in two months (5 2/3 innings, five earned runs, including four home runs) after back-to-back appearances where he pitched seven shutout innings versus the Nationals when the calendar changed to July.

Quintana's last two road appearances have been solid (13 1/3 innings, no runs, eight hits and nine strikeouts), he still carries a 4.79 ERA on the road with opponents hitting .269 against him in 47 innings.

Gerrit Cole will make his second start in the Subway Series this season. The reigning AL CY Young Award winner had his worst outing the first time around, allowing season-highs in earned runs (6), hits (7) home runs (4) and didn't record a single strikeout, only the second time in his career he's failed to do so.

The good news is it's been much better for Cole since then, giving up one earned run and pitching five or more innings and earning a victory in three of his last four starts.

Opposing the Yankees' ace will be Manaea. The 32-year-old veteran was performing well recently up until his first start back from the All-Star Break where he surrendered five runs on eight hits and tied a season-low with one strikeout in a 6-4 loss to the Marlins last Friday. This was the first loss for Manaea in seven outings, as his last defeat came back on June 8 versus the Phillies.

Outside of the start in Miami, Manaea has pitched decently on the road, not conceding more than three runs in any of those eight previous starts away from Citi Field.

The good news too is the 6-foot-5 left-hander had a solid showing when he faced the Yankees last month, giving up no runs on two hits allowed in five innings. The only blemish is he walked a season-high five batters in the Mets' 12-2 victory on June 26, but has given up only seven free passes since in 21 innings pitched so far in July.