About Last Night: Mariners 6, Yankees 3

by Derek McAdam

May 22, 2024

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The New York Yankees lost their second consecutive game against the Seattle Mariners last night by a score of 6-3, the first time since April 29-30 that the Yankees had lost back-to-back games.

Quick Stats: W: Bryan Woo (2-0): 6 IP, 2 H, 7 K

                     L: Clarke Schmidt (5-2): 5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

                     S: Andres Munoz (10): 1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K

The Big Story: After losing Monday night’s game in heartbreak fashion, with Clay Holmes giving up four runs in the 9th, the Yankees were looking to finish Tuesday with a tied series. Schmidt was looking to keep the momentum going following his last two impressive starts.

In the 3rd, Dylan Moore hit a two-run home run in the left field seats, giving the Mariners a 2-0 lead. These would be the only two runs that Schmidt would give up, although it was not a fantastic start on his end. His pitch count was very high in just a few innings, and he was not putting batters away like he has done in his last couple of outings.

As for the other starter, Woo was putting the Yankees away with ease. His pitch count was very good throughout the game, and he was not allowing much traffic on base. It was his third start of the season, and, by far, his best so far this year.

In the 7th, Ty France hit a solo home run to center field off Dennis Santana, giving the Mariners a 3-0 lead. But Moore also drove in a run on an RBI single, extending the Seattle lead to 4-0. However, the Yankees managed to get some life in the bottom of the inning, when Gleyber Torres hit a three-run home run to cut the Mariners’ lead to 4-3, creating a brand new ballgame.

However, the buzz in the atmosphere quickly faded away in the top of the 8th, when Luke Raley hit a solo home run on the first pitch he saw from Clayton Andrews and giving the Mariners a run back. Anthony Volpe was able to extend his hitting streak to 14 games in the bottom of the inning, but the Yankees left him stranded.

Moore contributed yet again to the Seattle offense in the 9th, with a solo home run to right field, giving Seattle a 6-3 lead. The Yankees brought Oswaldo Cabrera, the tying run, to the plate in the bottom of the inning with two outs, but he struck out to end the game.

Player of the Game: Moore gave the Mariners several big hits last night and drove in four of their six runs. He is absolutely willing to take this award.

Notable Performances: Woo absolutely shut the Yankees down. He only allowed two base runners and threw 77 total pitches in six innings. Torres also gave the Yankees their only runs of the night, and in a crucial spot in the game.

Better to Forget: This is one that the entire Yankee team would like to forget. They didn’t have many opportunities to score runs, but when they did, they didn’t take advantage of the opportunity, with the exception of Torres.

My Take: The Yankees aren’t going to have their A-game every day, but this was a frustrating loss, and it really boiled down to Aaron Boone’s decision in the 8th. Andrews was warming up to come in for the 8th inning before Torres hit his three-run home run. Instead of bringing in someone else such as Nick Burti or Luke Weaver, who are both pitchers that have pitched in “higher-leverage” situations, Boone decided to still bring Andrews in.

Not only is Andrews the last pitcher in the bullpen, but he did not put up good numbers in Triple-A at all. His ERA was 6.60 and he has a tendency to walk many batters. And it’s not as if the Yankees didn’t have pitchers available, as Holmes was probably the only pitcher that would absolutely not be available.

I don’t like to get into habits of criticizing Boone too much, because he is rarely credited for any successful managerial moves he makes, yet is always criticized if one decision backfires. But this decision just didn’t sit right with me. Even YES Network’s Michael Kay was questioning that decision, and he is not one to get too critical of Boone.

Raley’s home run in the 8th really put the Yankees in a bad spot. The stadium, and the Yankees, were buzzing after Torres’ home run. That quickly went away with the home run, and the Yankees had no further response. The Yankees may not have scored additional runs in the 8th or 9th innings even if the score was still 4-3, which is very possible, but it’s not a scenario to speculate on.

The Yankees have to shake off these first couple of losses and go for the series split. Seattle’s pitching is still going to be tough, so the Yankees will need to turn things around at the plate if they want to get a couple of wins.

What’s Next?: The Yankees will be right back at it tonight in the third of four games against the Mariners. Bryce Miller is scheduled to start for the Mariners, while Nestor Cortes is set to go for the Yankees. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. EST.