Beating Seattle is expected from the Yanks but with so-called “King Felix” Hernandez on the mound it has been a struggle for a few years. Tonight it was not to be although Hernandez kept it close for 6 innings and until Raul Ibanez tagged him with a big three-run homer. That put the Yankees up 4-2 and they never looked back. Hernandez had not lost in the new Yankee stadium until tonight. Kuroda was alright but not too impressive as his numbers seem to show. He pitched 7 full innings, giving up 6 hits and only 2 earned runs. Like I mentioned, the numbers look decent but in the top of the 5th the Mariners had the bases loaded and only one out. Kuroda was able to make some key pitches too slide out of any damage at all. I’m satisfied with his performance and with how the Yanks offense hit the ball also. Cano is on a tear now and the Ibanez has definitely been a great acquisition until now. Andruw Jones added to the mix and made it easier for the bullpen with his own two-run blast in the 8th. Yanks win but need to sweep.
MLB.com recap:
NEW YORK — The Yankees would love to take their recent success against upper-echelon talent as a sign that their lineup is finally clicking into place. At the very least, it breeds confidence they can beat some of the best in the league.
One night after the Bombers knocked around the Rays’ David Price, Raul Ibanez’s three-run homer helped power an 11-hit assault on Felix Hernandez as the Yankees toppled the Mariners, 6-2, on Friday at Yankee Stadium.
“I think that things are definitely coming around offensively; guys are swinging the bats well,” said Ibanez, whose sixth-inning blast off Hernandez put New York in command. “We’ve been having some good swings together as a group.”
Robinson Cano contributed four hits, including a first-inning RBI single, to back Hiroki Kuroda’s solid effort as the Yankees posted their fourth win in the last five games. Andruw Jones joined the party late with a pinch-hit two-run homer in the eighth off Steve Delabar.
The suddenly red-hot Cano owns 12 hits in his last 20 at-bats (.600), with eight RBIs in his last five games, a streak sparked by his grand slam on Sunday in Kansas City.
“Every time I go up there, I just go positive and say in my mind to get a hit,” Cano said. “Here, it’s all about winning. I just always want to feel good and win a game.”
Four relievers finished the job out of New York’s bullpen, including David Robertson, who logged two outs in a non-save situation to bounce back from Wednesday’s blown save against the Rays.
“It’s always good to get back out there after you’ve struggled your last outing, whether you’re a pitcher or a hitter,” manager Joe Girardi said.
Kuroda limited the Mariners to a pair of solo homers over seven innings, one hit by Jesus Montero, the power-hitting prospect dealt to Seattle by the Yankees in a four-player trade earlier this year.
Montero’s sixth-inning laser was tossed back onto the field from the right-field seats, but otherwise the catcher was generally received with indifference by the Yankee Stadium crowd following a January blockbuster deal anchored by now-injured pitcher Michael Pineda.
“It looked like he hit a decent pitch there and drove it the other way,” Mariners manager Eric Wedge said. “When you’re in this ballpark, you’re going to benefit from that.”….Read More
Box Score and Highlights:
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