Wed AM BRB (5-19-21)
This Day in Music (5-19-1945)
Songwriter and guitar player of The Who, Pete Townshend, is born in England.
Photo Credit: Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press
After a high-energy, back-and-forth affair earned the Islanders a 1-0 series lead against the Pittsburgh Penguins, goaltender Tristan Jarry and the Steel City veterans punched back Tuesday by beating the Isles at their own game to even the series. Boosted early by two first period goals by Bryan Rust and Jeff Carter, the Penguins were able to sit back and bog the Islanders down for much of the evening. The Islanders once again were able to out-hit the Pens while putting up a high number of shots, but Jarry answered nearly every question asked of him by an Islanders offense that bested him four times on Sunday. The lone Islanders goal came midway through the second period, when team stalwart Josh Bailey found the kink in Jarry’s armor and buried a backhander over the goalie’s left shoulder. The breakthrough goal did spark the Islanders, as the team continued to apply pressure as if the second period was their last on Earth, but further results were not to be. Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov steadied himself after the two first period goals to give the team a chance in his return, and the pesky fourth line led by Matt Martin did everything they could to add an element of intimidation to the game. The Penguins stood up to every Islanders challenge, however, as not even some rare saltiness in playoff hockey could give the Islanders an advantage last night. While it was unsurprising to see teams who have now played each other 10 times grow a bit sick of one another, to see it truly was one of the the more entertaining consequences of the division-only schedule used this year. With a bare minimum of three games remaining between the sides, it’s hard to expect this will be the last game in which tensions start to simmer beyond control.
The Yankees and Mets have spent the better part of the last week staring straight down the barrel of adversity, yet both clubs managed to answer the call last night. After dropping the first of a four game series to the Texas Rangers, the Yankees felt up against it last night after a sloppy bottom of the third inning found the team set back 3-0. As has been the case with seemingly every start he’s made for the Yankees, Jameson Taillon struggled to put Rangers hitters away when the going got tough, allowing four runs on six hits while lasting just 4.1 innings. Taillon’s ERA expands to an ugly 5.73 to start his Yankees career, with fans growing more and more anxious for the return of Luis Severino. Taillon absolutely deserves a chance to right himself after missing the better part of the last two seasons, but returns thus far have been ugly, there’s no way to sugarcoat it. The embattled Yankees starter was quickly bailed out by his offense, however, as the lineup woke out of a two-game slumber to hang a five-spot on Texas in the top of the fourth. A rally built on the back of three RBI doubles and an RBI single, the Bombers showed (most refreshingly) that they can in fact win without slugging dingers all night. In some ways it feels like complimenting a nine-year-old’s first steps, but you have to learn to walk before you can run…For the majority of the evening, the Mets looked as though they had their second consecutive game against Atlanta in-hand, as the club amassed a 3-1 lead despite playing about as short-handed as any team in the league. The team used an opener, put together a rather motley crew lineup, and survived a late inning charge by the defending NL East champs to hold on for a thrilling 4-3 victory. Like their crosstown rivals of yesteryear, the Mets seem to be adopting a “next man up,” mentality, rising above injury and personal struggle to create a whole that is still equal to the sum of its parts. Last night’s hero was none other than Mets backup catcher Tomas Nido, who found an immediate answer to the Braves comeback on the strength of a solo HR in the top of the ninth to put the Mets back on top for good. Like all great go-ahead homers, Nido’s deep fly to left field took about an hour and 15 minutes to settle into the second row, sending the Mets bench bounding over the dugout railing to congratulate their teammate. Closer Edwin Diaz remained in solid form as Mets locked down their seventh win in their last 10, maintaining a razor-thin lead on the NL East.