3 Up And 3 Down: Who's Hot And Who's Not In New York Sports

By Daniel Friedman
» More Columns

Taking a look at who's hot and who's not on the local sports landscape:

THREE UP:

1) Masahiro Tanaka

In his first game back since hopping off the disabled list, Tanaka pitched brilliantly, striking out nine and allowing just a single run in seven innings of work. The Yankees beat Seattle, 3-1.

2) Jacob deGrom

Not that we should expect anything less from him, but his performance earlier this week is one of the lone bright spots in what's been an otherwise disappointing few weeks. He struck out eight batters and tossed eight innings of shutout ball, as the Mets defeated San Diego, 7-0. In 71 innings pitched this season, deGrom has just as many strikeouts.

3. Ex-Rangers

Members of the current roster are still reeling from a disappointing finish, but there are a number of outcasts who've lived to fight another day. Ryan Callahan, Brian Boyle, Anton Stralman and Brad Richards are facing off in the Stanley Cup Final, which Chicago currently leads, 1-0.

THREE DOWN:

1. NYCFC

Perhaps it was to be expected, perhaps not. In any event, the expansion MLS franchise finds itself dead last in its division. That might get a pass for now, but patience runs out quickly in this town.

2. Dillon Gee

Six-man rotation? It's a nice idea, until you realize that Gee's the sixth man. He was abysmal on Wednesday night against San Diego.

3. Injured Rangers

It's been revealed that several Blueshirts played injured, which has become a topic of intense debate. If you ask Keith Olbermann, he'll tell you that the decisions to play through those injuries were idiotic ones. Me? I don't think it's that simple. In any event, it's a tough pill for the Rangers to swallow.