Mariners Log: M’s without spark in tedious loss to Yankees

AARON JUDGE HITS MAMMOTH HOME RUN TO CEMENT WIN

What happened: C.C. Sabathia and four relievers limited the Seattle Mariners to one run on seven hits and the New York Yankees won their second straight at Safeco Field, 5-1, on Friday.

In contrast to Thursday night’s loss, which had the silver lining of Felix Hernandez’ strong start, there was no good news for the M’s in this one.

The team went 3 for 12 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine. They routinely had bad at-bats with runners on. When batters did reach, it was either a slow, station-to-station slog – or they made more outs on the bases, as Ben Gamel did getting thrown out trying to advance from second to third on a routine grounder right in front of him to short.

M’s starter Andrew Moore gave up five runs on nine hits and one walk with two strikeouts.

The biggest highlight of the night was Aaron Judge’s mammoth homer in the fifth inning, which came within one row of leaving Safeco Field over the left-field stands. It was hit either so hard, high or far that MLB.com’s Statcast couldn’t measure it.

Line Outs

• M’s opened the scoring in the first off Sabathia. With two down, Robinson Cano drew a walk and went to third on Nelson Cruz’ single off the wall in left. Kyle Seager’s grounder to first deflected off Chase Headley’s glove and Starlin Castro’s throw back to Headley gave the new first baseman trouble and it went as a single, with Cano scoring on the play.
• The Yankees took the lead in the third. Headley led off with a double and scored on Clint Frazier’s double. Frazier took third on a sac fly by Brett Gardner and scored on a sac fly by Aaron Judge.
• New York padded its lead in the fifth. Gardner singled with one out and Gary Sanchez followed with a single. That brought up Aaron Judge, who had been held quiet to that point in the series. That ended when he crushed a lazy curveball to within one row of the top of the upper deck in left field (see below).
• For Judge, it was his 31st home run of the season, which leads the majors, and his first since the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby.
• Seager led off the sixth with a walk, but Mitch Haniger struck out, Jarrod Dyson popped up and Ben Gamel flied out.
• The M’s put two on with two down in the eighth, but Dyson popped up to end the inning.

The Takeaway

Ugh. The Mariners did very little against Sabathia and four relievers. When they did get on, strikeouts and feeble pop ups were de rigueur. If you’re a fan, it’s hard not to be deflated after the M’s won five out of six on the road, then come home and drop two straight to the team they’re chasing in the wildcard race.

Tweet of the Day

Players of the Game

Hero: Emilio Pagan. Three shutout innings of relief. His reward? He’ll probably get send down on Saturday for a fresh arm.

Goat: Take your pick. Mine is Danny Valencia, who went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts in the No. 2 hole against the lefty.

Next Game

New York Yankees (50-45) at Seattle Mariners (48-50) on Saturday at 6:10 p.m. at Safeco Field. Ariel Miranda (7-4, 4.35) hosts Masahiro Tanaka (7-9, 5.33).

What others are saying (and writing)

If the home team is going to lose, at least the Yankees’ star player, Judge, hit a moonshot to give the fans something to talk about. … Moore is finding the big leagues a bit tougher the last couple starts. … The roster churn continues as Jerry Dipoto makes deals to bolster the pitching staff. Giving up prospects always leads to a discussion, especially in the Seattle area. … At least this trade seems to be working for the M’s. … New York’s postseason hopes may rest on young arms as well.