Mariners at Yankees
The Seattle Mariners snapped a six-game slide and looked a lot like the team that burst out of the gate in April when they blasted the Cleveland Indians 10-0 on Sunday. The Mariners will try to turn that into a winning streak when they continue the road trip by visiting the New York Yankees on Monday in the opener of a four-game series.
Seattle opened the season 13-2 before going into a tailspin that saw it drop 15 of 20, including several lopsided setbacks at home last week. The Mariners got more competitive with one-run loses in the first two meetings with Cleveland before breaking out on Sunday and getting home runs from Jay Bruce, Mitch Haniger and Edwin Encarnacion to bring their major-league lead to 68 homers. The Yankees had their game on Sunday pushed back three hours at the start due to rain and then called after a long delay in the eighth inning, but they came away with a 4-1 victory and a series win over the Minnesota Twins. New York will try to stay sharp at home behind veteran lefty CC Sabathia while the Mariners turn to righty Felix Hernandez in a battle of former Cy Young Award winners.
TV: 6:35 p.m. ET, Root Northwest (Seattle), YES (New York)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners RH Felix Hernandez (1-2, 4.31 ERA) vs. Yankees LH CC Sabathia (1-1, 2.66)
Hernandez struck out eight over six innings against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday but was charged with four runs on eight hits - two homers - and did not factor in the decision. The former Cy Young Award winner owns 29 strikeouts in 31 1/3 innings while issuing four free passes and went at least six innings in each of his last four turns. Hernandez is 6-1 with a 1.44 ERA in 10 starts at the current Yankee Stadium, including one earned run allowed over five innings in one start in the Bronx last season.
Sabathia reached 3,000 career strikeouts at Arizona on Tuesday but also suffered his first loss of the season while allowing two runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings. The 38-year-old has struggled keeping the ball in the yard of late, surrendering four home runs in 10 1/3 total innings over his last two outings. Sabathia scattered two runs and seven hits across two innings in his lone start against Seattle last season but did not factor in the decision.
WALK-OFFS
1. Yankees RHP Luis Severino (lat strain) is expected to be out until after the All-Star break.
2. Bruce is tied for the AL lead with 11 home runs but is batting .183.
3. New York 1B Luke Voit failed to reach base in the last two games after a stretch of 42 straight games in doing so.