Subway Series: Beltran, McCann homer, Yankees beat Mets 5-0

FLUSHING -- Carlos Beltran hit a three-run, second-deck home run on a 100 mph fastball from Noah Syndergaard in the first inning, Michael Pineda pitched his best game in two months and the New York Yankees beat the Mets 5-0 Saturday to rebound from an opening loss in the weekend Subway Series.

Brian McCann added a two-run homer in the sixth, the Yankees' 200th home run this season, to quiet the sellout crowd of 43,630 at Citi Field on a sunny late-summer afternoon.

Hoping to reach the postseason for the first time since 2006, the Mets started the day eight games ahead of second-place Washington in the NL East.

Trying to reach the playoffs after their first two-year absence since the early 1990s, the Yankees began the day 4 1/2 games behind AL East-leading Toronto but four games in front of Houston for the first AL wild card.

Pineda (11-8) had struggled since returning from a month on the disabled list caused by a right forearm strain. He allowed four singles in 5 1-3 innings to win for just the second time since the All-Star break.

Justin Wilson relieved with two on in the sixth, walked Daniel Murphy and then fanned David Wright and Lucas Duda on 97 mph pitches as both batters grimaced, the first of seven straight strikeouts for a Yankees bullpen that didn't allow a hit until a pair of singles off Chris Martin in the ninth.

Andrew Miller got Travis d'Arnaud on a grounder for the final out.

Syndergaard (8-7), one of the Mets' young stud starters, gave up five runs and seven hits in six innings, struck out eight and walked none.

In honor of new Mets star Yoenis Cespedes, Syndergaard on Friday brought his teammates a box of black T-shirts with "Yo Knows Beisbol" in yellow, orange and blue. But after driving in 42 runs in his first 41 games since the Mets obtained him from Detroit at the July 31 trade deadline, Cespedes is 0 for 17 with seven strikeouts. He took a bad route on Dustin Ackley's fifth-inning drive and allowed it to fall behind him at the bottom of the center-field fence for a leadoff triple.

Beltran hit .162 in April but is batting .301 since with 16 homers and 49 RBIs. After Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner looped singles into short right-center field, the former Mets star fell behind 0-2 in the count, fouled off an offering and sent Syndergaard's 10th pitch of the game into the Pepsi Porch in right field.

McCann homered into the visiting bullpen in right-center for a 5-0 lead. The Yankees already have hit 53 more home runs than they did all last season.

WEB GEM

Mets left fielder Michael Conforto made an over-the-shoulder jumping catch while falling down on the warning track to rob Gardner in the third inning.

CROWD CONTROL

The Mets have had six home sellouts, topping five during Citi Field's first season in 2009.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Mets: Setup man Tyler Clippard wasn't available for the second straight day. His back tightened up during pregame warmups Friday.

UP NEXT

In a marquee Sunday night matchup, Matt Harvey (12-7) starts for the Mets for the first time since Sept. 8, and CC Sabathia (4-9) goes for the Yankees. Harvey has pitched 171 2-3 innings and his agent, Scott Boras, has said doctors don't want Harvey to pitch more than 180 this year - although Harvey says he will be available in the postseason.