Although not officially announced, Masahiro Tanaka will likely start on Opening Day for the New York Yankees. On Wednesday, though, he had his third Spring Training start. Tanaka did not pitch too poorly, but he did lose to the New York Mets by a final score of 7-2. 

Tanaka (L: 1-1, 1.74 ERA) started and pitched 4 2/3 innings. He allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits, one of them a home run. He walked only one and struck out seven. He has one more Spring Training start before the Yankees open the season at home on April 6 against the Toronto Blue Jays. Manager Joe Girardi did not officially name Tanaka the starter, but Yankees beat writer Bryan Hoch indicates that Girardi will most likely do so before long.

Juan Lagares led the way for the Mets as he was 2 for 3, including a fifth-inning two-run home run (2) off Dellin Betances that scored Matt Reynolds ahead of him. He hit an inside-the-park home run the last time these two teams met a few days ago, but this one cleared the left-field wall. 

The Mets took a 1-0 lead in the first when Lagares stole third and scored on John Ryan Murphy's overthrow. The Yankees tied it on Chase Headley's RBI double in the bottom of the third. The Yankees, though, would not score again until the ninth (Nick Noonan RBI single) with the game already out of hand.

In the fourth, Jon Mayberry, Jr. took Tanaka over the left-field wall (3) to put the Mets ahead 2-1, a lead they would expand and never reliquish. The Mets also scored single runs in the sixth (Travis d'Arnaud RBI single), eighth (Anthony Recker RBI double), and ninth (Matt den Dekker RBI ground-rule double).

Rafael Montero (W: 1-0, 4.00) started for the Mets and earned the win. He pitched four innings, allowing one earned run on three hits. He walked none and struck out four. Five Mets relievers combined for five innings of one-run, three-hit ball. Chase Huchingson allowed the Yankees' ninth-inning run.

On Thursday, the Yankees travel to face the Tampa Bay Rays at 1:05 p.m. EDT while the Mets visit the Washington Nationals at 5:05 p.m.