Mariners 7, Yankees 5
Gary Sanchez has looked super human as of late. He recorded the second two-home run game of his very short career and also threw out two runners. Not to be outdone, Starlin Castro added two homers of his own, combining with Sanchez to provide the entirety of the Yankee offense. Based on those performances, one could surmize that a Yankee team victory would be the end result. However, against the fourth-ranked home run hitting team in the league this deduction would be incorrect.
Seattle continues to hit home runs at home. Kyle Seager, Mike Zunino and Nelson Cruz each had a four-bagger with the most important homer being Zunino’s in the bottom of the sixth. That gave the Mariners a 6-5 lead which would be all they needed. Cruz added a late homer to make the final 7-5 handing the Yankees their second loss in as many days.
The Sanchez and Castro show should have been a hit, but Yankee pitchers — including Michael Pineda, once again — could not keep the ball in the yard. Pineda gave up one homer and ultimately five earned runs. Hindsight is 20/20, but I keep going back to the decision to take out Pineda in the sixth with two runners on. It may not have been a terrible choice, but the move seemed a little rushed even for Girardi’s standards. The reason this point in the game was so important is because after Tommy Layne, the lefty specialist, came in to get Adam Lind out, the decision was made to bring in Anthony Swarzak. In that situation, I’m not sure many people were really concerned about Zunino going deep, but what is concerning is bringing in a pitcher that isn’t necessarily a big strikeout guy.
Whether you want to put this game on the decisions made by Girardi, on Pineda or on poor Anthony Swarzak that is up to you, but you most certainly can’t blame Sanchez. The guy is putting up video game type numbers and while we all are knowledgeable enough to know this type of offensive production cannot be sustained, it is a really good sign of things to come. It is important for a young player to see at least some success early so that they gain the confidence needed to know they belong at the major league level. Sanchez has now experienced that early success and we all go forward with eager anticipation as to what lies ahead for the young prospect.
The Play: Mike Zunino’s Go-Ahead Homer (+.491 WPA)
Top Performers
Yankees: Gary Sanchez (3 for 4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI)
Mariners: Kyle Seager (2 for 3, 1 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI)
Notes
– Gary Sanchez’s eight home runs this season is the most by a Yankee within the first 19 games of their career.
– The Yankees are now 6 1/2 games back of the Blue Jays and Red Sox for first place in the AL East and 4 1/2 games back of the Orioles for the second wild card spot.
The Quote
“I was already going to possibly ask Clippard to give us nine outs. I thought it was unreasonable to ask him to give us ten outs.”- Girardi when asked if he thought about brining in Clippard instead of Swarzak.
The Highlight: Sanchez Hits His Second Home run
Up Next
The Yankees will take on the Mariners in game two of the three game series at 10:10 p.m. ET at Safeco Field on Tuesday. CC Sabathia will get the nod as the starting pitcher. In his last start on Aug. 17 against the Blue Jays he recorded a season high 12 strikeouts but allowed seven earned runs in that game and took the loss. That Jekyll and Hyde type performance sums up Sabathia’s season. After a solid first half of the season Sabathia has really fizzled down the stretch and a once sub 3.00 DRA has grown to 3.91.
Taijuan Walker will start game two of the three game series for Seattle. This is based on comments by Mariners manager Scott Servais who said that his Tuesday starter is not currently with the team. Walker has been with the Triple-A club making rehab starts. It could also be the recently acquired Bryan Evans. Evans was picked up from free agency on Monday and immediately put on the Mariners roster. Prior to being assigned to the big league club Evans had spent eight years as a starting pitcher in the minor leagues with various organizations.
Photo: Joe Nicholson / USA Today Sports