About Last Night: Yankees 10, Mariners 2

About Last Night: New York Yankees 10 Seattle Mariners 2 by Dale Mather May 31, 2023

*** About Last Night: The Yankees did just what the scouting report said to do with Logan Gilbert who was pitching for Seattle, get to him early. 3 runs and 38 pitches in the first inning was exactly what the Yankees were looking to do. Take it to the 3rd inning and Gilbert became Volperized by a 3-run home run off the bat of Anthony Volpe. Both Aaron Judge and Greg Allen chipped in with solo shots, and IKF had a 4 hit game.

Gilbert lasted four innings. He gave up 7 runs.

Nestor Cortes for the Yankees pitched five innings allowing two runs. Mike King and Ryan Weber pitched in with two innings each out of the bullpen.

Quick Stats: Winning pitcher - Nestor Cortes is now 5-2 now despite owning a 5 plus ERA.

HR - Volpe, Allen, Judge

RBI - Kiner-Falefa 4, Bauers, Volpe 3, Allen, Judge

Big Story: The Yankees offense was the big story. They had another 12 hits today after pounding out 18 in the opener. Just like in year's past, as the injuries mount up, the "next man up" mentality comes up big. Last night Willie Calhoun batted third. Jake Bauers played first base. Greg Allen was in center field.

With a few big guns ready to come back soon, the offense is really hitting a nice hot streak at the right time. The Yankees also picked up another game gained on Tampa Bay. The Yankees are five games out.

The Yankees also earned another series win, and they have a chance to sweep today!

Player of the Game: After a day off to regroup, Anthony Volpe sent a 3-run home run over the fence o give the Yankees ta commanding 6 to nothing lead. That blast put the game out of reach early, and despite a batting average under .200, Volpe is still finding ways to contribute with 8 home runs and 24 RBIs on the season so far.

Notable Performances: You can't help but call IKFs 4 hit night a tie with Volpe for player of the game. Everytime you looked up IKF was standing on base again. You also have to give an honorable mention to Aaron Judge and Greg Allen for their home run blasts too, and 2 scoreless innings each for Michael King and Ryan Weber. You can hear the excitement as I type this. Better to Forget: The injury bug that sits above the New York Yankees like a rain cloud. With this line-up many of us would not have predicted a 10 run, 3 home run outburst. Nevertheless the Yankees got it done again. With Rizzo not yet ready to return to action, and Harrison Bader going right back to the IL, I won't hold my breath in anticipation for more 10 run games, but you never know.

I also don't want to necessarily forget Nestor Cortez and his obvious continued struggles with the combo of facing the order a 3rd time and surpassing 80 pitches. In close games Aaron Boone will need to have the bullpen ready right around that 75 to 80 pitch count as that usually represents the 3rd time through the lineup. Until Nestor can show Boone he can work later into games, I'm afraid the hook needs to happen quicker. My Take: With the injuries mounting, the Yankees are showing a lot of resilience, and it's really fun to watch. Be careful what you wish for though, as with Josh Donaldson and Giancarlo Stanton nearing returns, the team's strike out percentage will climb. Perhaps in the meantime the Yankees should recall Estevan Florial and Oswald Peraza, whom are tearing it up almost daily at Triple A. (The Yankees recalled Franchie Cordero with Bader on the IL.) On a separate topic, has anyone seen how strange Aaron Hicks looks like with facial hair and that bright orange jersey now that he's with the Orioles? Watch Aaron Hicks tear it up now that he has facial hair. It's happened before when players leave the Yankees. (I don't really predict that. Hicks looks to be done.)

Next Up: The New York Yankees will take on the Seattle Mariners again tonight at 9:40 p.m. with Clarke Schmidt (2-5 5.58 ERA) matching up with George Kirby (5-4 3.43 ERA).