Seattle Mariners Gameday Preview versus the Yankees

Initial Thoughts:

The M’s kept knocking and knocking last night, but just couldn’t get over the hump and defeat the New York Yankees. It was their first loss to the Yankees all season; they are now 3-1 against Pinstripes on the year.

With Monday’s delay the Yankees pushed their starters back, which ruined the ace versus ace matchup of former Japanese teammates. However the Yankees’ veritable ace will take the mound tonight in Seattle.

Game Details:

Seattle Mariners 34-30. Last 10: 8-2.

New York Yankees: 32-31. Last 10: 4-6.

Game Time: 7:10 PM Pacific. Location: Seattle, Washington. Safeco Field.

MATCHUPS:

Pitching:

Seattle Mariners RHP Chris Young (5-3, 3.42 ERA) v. New York Yankees RHP Masahiro Tanaka (9-1, 2.02 ERA).

EDGE: Tanaka. Besides his marginal hiccup loss to the Cubs in May, Tanaka has been lights out and dominant in his first 12 starts in Major League Baseball. Young has been a pleasant and necessary surprise for the Mariners, providing consistent innings and production from the bottom of the rotation. However Tanaka’s arsenal is too good, and may induce many flailing strikeouts in tonight’s game. He also seems to be even more impressive the first time he is pitching against any given team.

Projected Lineups:

Mariners:

James Jones 8

Michael Saunders 9

Robinson Cano 4

Stefen Romero DH

Kyle Seager 5

Dustin Ackley 7

Mike Zunino 2

Willie Bloomquist 3

Brad Miller 6

Of Note: Ackley tied the game last night with an RBI single in the 7th inning. But there was a general lack of offense throughout the contest for the Mariners. Managing only 7 hits and 2 walks in 9 innings of baseball, the Mariners reverted back to the all too familiar quiet offense. Cano did go 2-4 against his former team, but the boys struggled to string together hits with any regularity.

Yankees:

Brett Gardner 7

Derek Jeter 6

Jacoby Ellsbury 8

Mark Teixeira 3

Carlos Beltran DH

Brian McCann 2

Yangervis Solarte 5

Ichiro Suzuki 9

Brian Roberts 4

Of Note: the Yankess managed a nearly identical box score to the Mariners, with the exception of that third run to win the ballgame in the 8th inning. The Yanks managed 8 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7 times. Their lineup still struggles to produce at the bottom of the order, and Beltran– one of their ‘major’ offseason acquisitions– is batting a meager .226 on the season.

Other Notes:

Derek Jeter started his Major League career in the Kingdome, going 0-5 in an 8-7 loss to the Mariners 20 years ago. As a part of his final year sendoff celebration, the Mariners gifted to him a seat from that old Kingdome, along with a donation to his Turn 2 Foundation, a Safeco second base, and a watch from his good friend Robbie Cano.

A baseball great and all around good guy is playing his second to last game in Seattle tonight.

Final Thoughts:

Tanaka is good– too good for the Mariners offense to handle tonight. After a quiet night in the loss, the Mariners are going to struggle with Tanaka’s arsenal, and runs will be coming at a premium. This puts pressure on Young to keep the Ms in the game, something he has done unexpectedly throughout the season.

But even if Young only allows 2 or 3 runs, Tanaka looks poised to simply overpower this Mariners offense.

Score Prediction:

Mariners 1, Yankees 4.