Yanks could be without Chapman for Game 3 vs. Mets (Aug 16, 2017)

NEW YORK -- If the New York Yankees hold a close lead over the New York Mets on Wednesday night at Citi Field, there might be some concern about Aroldis Chapman.

The Yankees closer had his hamstring tighten up on him as he covered first base for the final out Tuesday in his team's 5-4 win over the Mets at Yankee Stadium.

"It's nothing to worry about," he said through an interpreter.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said no tests were scheduled, and he didn't even know which hamstring it was.

"I think you're always worried when there's a hamstring issue," Girardi said. "You worry about him overcompensating somewhere else and hurting his arm."

Any kind of leg injury might be concerning, further compounding the concern fans hold about the left-hander based on his recent outings. Chapman is 16-for-20 in save opportunities, but in his past two saves, he walked the first three hitters Friday against the Boston Red Sox, then gave up a two-run homer to Mets rookie Amed Rosario on Tuesday.

Those outings, along with the homer Boston rookie Rafael Devers hit off his 103 mph fastball to tie the Sunday game, give Chapman a 13.50 ERA in his past three appearances.

"He's searching a little bit right now," Girardi said. "He's too good. He's like some of the other guys (in the bullpen) that had some troubles this year and he'll be really good again, I'm telling you."

The Yankees are hoping the next chance occurs Wednesday, should the game follow a similar formula as the first two of the Subway Series. The Yankees hit five homers in getting two wins at Yankee Stadium, two of the long balls coming from Gary Sanchez.

The catcher heads to Citi Field with 21 homers despite missing most of April. He also has five in his past 11 games and is hitting .440 (11-for-25) in his past seven games.

"I just think he's in a really good spot," Girardi said. "We've seen him get really, really hot, and it happened to be in the month of August last year, and hopefully that carries over the rest of this month and next month."

Last season, Sanchez was just starting his major league career when the teams met for four games Aug 1-4. This year, it is the careers of Mets rookies Rosario and Dominic Smith that are just beginning.

Rosario hit his second homer in the ninth inning off Chapman on Tuesday, two innings after Smith hit his first homer off Sonny Gray. Rosario is batting .255 (12-for-47) through his first 14 games, while Smith is at .235 (4-for-17) though his first five games heading into his home debut.

"You can't have a better scenario for young player development than put them in pressure situations," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "I believe that at any level. There is a time they need to be challenged, and when they come up here, you need to challenge them with big opportunities like tonight."

The Mets hope Smith and Rosario can help them get some more wins. The Mets are 4-8 in their last 12 games, and they were outscored 26-5 in four losses during their last homestand.

Jaime Garcia makes his third start for the Yankees on Wednesday, seeking his first win with his new team.

Garcia is 0-1 with a 6.97 ERA since the Yankees obtained him from the Minnesota Twins on July 30. He also is 0-3 with a 4.13 ERA in four appearances at Citi Field.

The left-hander's most recent appearance against the Mets in Queens occurred April 6 when he opposed Matt Harvey and allowed four runs and six hits in six innings of a 6-2 loss with the Atlanta Braves.

Garcia is 2-5 with a 3.00 ERA in nine career starts against the Mets, with seven of those outing occurring for the St. Louis Cardinals.

The current Mets roster holds a combined .288 average off Garcia. Jose Reyes is 7-for-24 off him, and Wilmer Flores is 4-for-12, but Yoenis Cespedes is 1-for-7 in their matchups.

Garcia took a no-decision Friday when he made his home debut. He allowed three runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings of an eventual 5-4 win for the Boston Red Sox.

Seth Lugo was originally slated to start Wednesday for the Mets. Instead, he was placed on the disabled list Tuesday with right shoulder impingement.

"I know that if it's not the elbow, that it always concerns me that you're changing your delivery to compensate because you've got a bad elbow and all of a sudden it's your shoulder," Collins said. "I know one thing: I don't like to hear shoulder problems. Those scare you more than anything."

Robert Gsellman will make the start after being activated from the disabled list Tuesday. Gsellman missed over a month with a strained left hamstring and threw six scoreless innings during his fourth rehab start for Double-A Binghamton on Friday.

Gsellman is 5-5 with a 6.16 ERA in 17 appearances (14 starts). He last pitched in the majors June 27 at Miami.

Before injuring his hamstring, Gsellman posted a 12.41 ERA in his last three starts.

Last season, Gsellman was 4-2 with a 2.42 ERA in eight appearances (seven starts). He made his major league debut three weeks after the Mets faced the Yankees last season.

He faced Aaron Judge in 2014 while pitching against Class A Charleston for Savannah, with Judge going 2-for-4 with an RBI.