Results tagged ‘ Oliver Perez ’

Garcia Notches 150th By Casting Mariners Adrift

GAME 107

YANKEES 6, MARINERS 2

Watching Freddy Garcia pitch would be kind of like seeing Rosie O’Donnell compete for the Miss America title. It sure is not be pretty but there is plenty of laughter after it’s over.

Garcia allowed only two runs though nine Mariners reached base in his five innings of work, but the 34-year-old right-hander pitched just well enough to win his 150th major-league game, the most for any Venezuelan-born pitcher, as New York took the three-game series with Seattle on Sunday.

Garcia (5-5) gave up five hits and four walks (three singles and all four walks came after two were out) and he struck out two batters to defeat the team in which he earned 76 of those 150 victories.

Meanwhile, another former Mariner, Raul Ibanez, keyed the offense for the Yankees with three RBIs on his 15th home run of he season in the fifth inning and a two-out, two-run single in the sixth inning.

Japanese right-hander Hisashi Iwamura (2-3) pitched a similar game to Garcia but with much less success for Seattle. Iwamura was tagged for four runs on seven hits and two walks and struck out four over five innings.

The Mariners actually took an early 1-0 lead on Garcia in the first inning when former Yankee prize prospect Jesus Montero stroked a one-single to center to score Dustin Ackley from third base. Montero was thrown out at the plate one out later after Nick Swisher fielded a single to right by Kyle Seager and fired a strike to catcher Chris Stewart to end the inning.

The Yankees, however, answered back with a pair of single runs in the first and second innings.

Mark Teixeira singled to right to score Derek Jeter with one out in the first inning. The Yankees added a run in the next frame thanks to a ball off the bat of Curtis Granderson that rolled through the legs of Ackley at first base for an error that scored Stewart.

The Yankees added a run in the fourth off Iwakuma on a two-out single to left by Jeter that scored Stewart from second base.

The Mariners drew to within a run in the top of the fifth when Michael Saunders launched a two-out double off the wall in center and Montero followed with a bloop single to right that plated Saunders.

Ibanez then answered the Mariners’ tally with his one-out blast to the first row in back of the Yankees’ bullpen in right-center.

The Yankees then extended the lead in the sixth off relievers Josh Kinney and Oliver Perez,

Stewart opened the inning with a walk and Granderson followed it with a lined single to right off Kinney. Two outs later, Perez walked Teixeira to load the bases in order to pitch to Ibanez. But Ibanez made the former Mets left-hander pay for that strategy by lining a single into left-center to score two runs.

The Yankees’ bullpen shut down the Mariners the rest of the way. Boone Logan pitched two perfect innings and David Robertson and Rafael Soriano each tossed a scoreless frame to wrap up of the victory for the Yankees.

The Yankees’ season record stands at 63-44 and they also maintained their 6 1/2-game lead in the American League East over the second-place Baltimore Orioles. The Mariners are now 51-59.

PINSTRIPE POSITIVES

  • Ibanez was 2-for-4 with three RBIs in the game and over his last eight games he is 8-for-22 (.364) with three home runs and seven RBIs. Ibanez only has 68 hits this season and yet he has driven in 49 runs in his first season with the Yankees.
  • Stewart was 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, a stolen base and scored three runs on Sunday. Though many Yankee fans still miss backup catcher Francisco Cervelli, Stewart has done his part defensively and he is now hitting a respectable .260 on the season with 12 RBIs in limited play behind starter Russell Martin.
  • The Yankees’ bullpen again shined brightly in throwing four innings of scoreless baseball to secure the victory. They allowed no hits and the Mariners’ only only base-runner came on a two out walk to Seager in the eighth issued by Robertson.

NAGGING NEGATIVES

  • Swisher’s throw to nail Montero at the plate was a key defensive play but Swisher was a huge drag on the offense, going 0-for-4 and stranding six base-runners. Swisher has no hits in his last nine at-bats and his season average has dipped to .258.
  • Jayson Nix, starting at third base in place of a resting Eric Chavez, was 0-for-3 with a sacrifice bunt. Nix had been 10 for his last 25 at-bats (.400) entering the contest.
  • Garcia was very fortunate that his four two-out walks did not come back to haunt him. He was able to retire the side in the second, third and fifth innings without giving up any more runs. This kind of pitching may work against the weak-hitting Mariners but it would not have worked against a good-hitting team like the Red Sox or Rangers.

BOMBER BANTER

Ichiro Suzuki tied a Yankee record by extending his hitting streak to 12 games on Sunday, though the hit was a bit tainted. Suzuki hit a fly ball to center to lead off the seventh inning that Saunders lost in the sun and it dropped at his feet in what was scored a double. Suzuki ties Don Slaught for beginning his Yankee career with a 12-game hitting streak.  . . .  X-rays taken of Andy Pettitte’s left ankle on Sunday indicated that the veteran left-hander is coming along fine in his recovery from the fracture he suffered on June 27. The Yankees were concerned a week ago when Pettitte had swelling from overuse during his workouts but the X-rays show the swelling has subsided. Pettitte, 40, hopes to be able to return to the rotation in September.  . . .  Manager Joe Girardi said on Sunday that outfielder Brett Gardner may be able to play for the Yankees in a limited role when the roster expands in September. Girardi said Gardner, who has played only nine games this season due to recurring soreness in his right elbow, could be used as a pinch-runner or defensive replacement and still not jeopardize his rehab from surgery on the elbow.

ON DECK

The Yankees are off to Detroit to open a four-game series with the Tigers that begins on Monday.

Right-hander Ivan Nova (10-5, 4.53 ERA) will open the series for the Yankees. Nova has not won a game since July 8 against the Red Sox. In his last outing he was handed an early 5-0 lead but he promptly coughed up nine runs on 10 hits and a walk in five innings in a loss to the Orioles. He is 0-0 with a 7.36 ERA in his career against the Tigers.

The Tigers will call on ace right-hander Justin Verlander (11-7, 2.63 ERA). Verlander failed to go at least six innings for the first time in 63 starts in his last time out. He gave up four runs (three earned) on six hits and four walks in five innings and he took the loss from the Red Sox. He is 4-4 with a 4.17 ERA lifetime against the Yankees.

Game-time will be 7:05 p.m. EDT and the game will be telecast nationally by ESPN and locally by the YES Network.

 

CC Fans 10 To Put Mariners In Davy Jones’ Locker

GAME 105

YANKEES 6, MARINERS 3

There are some days when an ace pitcher carries to the mound what looks to be no-hit stuff and on Friday it looked for all the paid crowd of 45,872 in attendance at Yankee Stadium that they were going to see just that from CC Sabathia.

Instead, the Yankees and their fans had to settle for a complete-game three-hit victory with 10 strikeouts as Sabathia shut down the Mariners and New York ended Seattle’s seven-game winning streak.

Sabathia (12-3) retired the first 10 batters he faced until Casper Wells connected on a first-pitch fastball and deposited into the Mariners’ bullpen in left-center. He then retired the next 12 batters before giving up a one-out double down the left-field line to Miguel Olivo.

The Mariners then opened the ninth by drawing a leadoff walk from Brendan Ryan and Dustin Ackley smacked a 1-0 fastball into the the bleachers in right-field, which brought manager Joe Girardi out to the mound apparently to replace his left-hander as a chorus of boos rained down upon him. But Girardi allowed Sabathia to get the last threw outs and the Yankees coasted to victory.

Meanwhile, the Yankees offense built an early lead for Sabathia in the third inning off veteran right-hander Kevin Millwood (4-9).

Ichiro Suzuki opened the frame with an infield chopper to the left of the mound for a single to extend his hitting streak to 10 games. Russell Martin followed with a double into left-center that advanced Suzuki to third. Curtis Granderson then scored both Suzuki and Martin with a lined single to center.

Three innings later, the Yankees padded their 2-1 lead with two out and Raul Ibanez on first when Eric Chavez hit a high fly ball that eluded the glove of right-fielder Eric Thames at the right-field wall and bounced into the seats for Chavez’s 10th home run of the season. Chavez beccame the ninth member of the team to reach double figures in home runs, which is the most in the major leagues.

Millwood left the game after six innings having given up four runs on nine hits and a walk while he struck out three.

The Yankees added a pair of runs in seventh off Mariners relievers Carter Capps and Oliver Perez on RBI singles by Robinson Cano and Ibanez. Though both hits came off Perez the runs were charged to Capps, who was making his major-league debut.

The victory gives the Yankees a season record of 62-43, which is tied for the best record in the American League with the Texas Rangers. The victory also maintained the Yankees’ 6 1/2 game lead in the American League East but the Tampa Bay Rays grabbed second place in the division by shutting out the Baltimore Orioles 2-0. The Mariners dropped to 50-58.

PINSTRIPE POSITIVES

  • Sabathia came into the game as the pitcher with the best major-league winning percentage in August and he promptly won his first start of the month. He also entered the game with an 11-4 career record and a 2.42 ERA against the Mariners. Sabathia is also tied with three others pitchers for the third-most victories in the American League and he still has a shot to win 20 games for a second time in his career. He has not won less than 19 games in his three previous seasons with the Yankees.
  • Chavez’s home run definitely had the benefit of the short porch in right and a little help from a fan. Replays showed a fan with glove impeded Thames’ glove from reaching the ball, but the fan did not appear to lean out into the field. The ball hit the top of the concrete wall and bounced into the stands. Thames and Mariners manager Eric Wedge did not dispute the call of home run by first-base umpire Larry Vanover.
  • Suzuki’s hitting streak has been of the vitamin variety, “One-A-Day.” He has 10 hits in his 40 at-bats in his 10 games as a Yankee. If he collects a single hit in his next game, Suzuki would set a team record of a 11-game hitting streak with 11 hits.

NAGGING NEGATIVES

Nothing to criticize in this game. Sabathia was dominant despite giving up the two home runs and the offense and defense was exceptional. Even with the game locked up at 2-1 into the bottom of the sixth inning, it appeared Sabathia was in command and the Yankees would win. They did and it was a good victory.

BOMBER BANTER

Mark Teixeira returned to the lineup after missing two games with an inflamed left wrist. Teixeira responded well to a shot of cortisone and he was 1-for-4 in the game.  . . .  Chavez was removed from the game in the ninth inning with a sore right ankle. Chavez twisted the ankle awkwardly on a swing in the bottom of the eighth inning and he was replaced at third base by Jayson Nix. Girardi said the injury does not appear to be serious.  . . .  Martin caught Sabathia for the first time since April 11 and it did not seem to bother Sabathia at all. Chris Stewart had caught Sabathia’s 16 previous starts.  . . .  With Alex Rodriguez out of the lineup, Girardi elected to bat Granderson in the leadoff spot and Jeter in the second spot in order to keep from stacking too many left-handed hitters in a row. It was only the second time this season Granderson has batted leadoff.

ON DECK

The Yankees will continue their three-game weekend home series with the Mariners on Saturday.

The Yankees will call upon veteran right-hander Hiroki Kuroda (10-7, 3.28 ERA) to start the game. Kuroda held the Mariners to one run on three hits over seven innings and fanned nine on July 23. He gave up two runs on seven hits and one walk in seven innings against the Red Sox on Sunday but did not get a decision. Kuroda is 2-1 with a 3.10 ERA in his career against the M’s.

The Mariners will counter with ace right-hander Felix Hernandez (9-5, 2.79 ERA). Hernandez is 5-0 with a 1.60 ERA in his last nine starts. He is 7-5 with a 3.38 ERA in his career against the Yankees.

Game-time will be at 1:05 p.m. EDT and the game will be telecast nationally by the MLB Network and locally by the YES Network.

 

Yanks ‘Nix’ Mariners With Bases-Clearing Double

GAME 98

YANKEES 5, MARINERS 2

With the Yankees having lost third baseman Alex Rodriguez for at least four weeks with a fractured left hand, speculation is running rampant that the Yankees will trade for a replacement. However, Jayson Nix might have convinced the front office to delay those plans.

Nix was called upon to pinch-hit in the top of eighth inning with the bases loaded and one out with the Yankees trailing the Mariners 2-1. Nix promptly laced a 2-2 fastball from Shawn Kelley to clear the bases as New York rallied late to defeat Seattle on Wednesday at Safeco Field.

Nix was hitting .235 with three home runs and seven RBIs in 85 at-bats when manager Joe Girardi sent him to the plate in place of designated hitter Raul Ibanez to face left-handed reliever Lucas Luetge (1-1). But Mariners manager Eric Wedge elected to replace Luetge with the right-handed Kelley.

Nix battled Kelley to a 2-2 count before slapping his three-run double in the gap in left-center to give the Yankees a 4-2 lead.

After Kelley walked Eric Chavez intentionally and Andruw Jones struck out, Russell Martin padded the Yankees’ lead to 5-2 with a lined single to left to score Nix.

David Phelps (2-3) pitched 1 1/3 innings of spotless relief, fanning two batters, to pick up the victory in relief. David Robertson pitched a perfect eighth inning and Rafael Soriano tossed a scoreless ninth to pick his 26th save in 28 opportunities this season.

The victory allowed the Yankees to clinch the three-game series with the Mariners and salvage what has been a costly 2-5 West Coast road trip.

The Yankees took an early 1-0 lead on the Mariners when Derek Jeter blasted a one-out solo home run in the first inning off Mariners starter Hisashi Iwakuma.

But Yankees right-hander Ivan Nova walked John Jaso on four pitches to load the bases with one out in the first inning and then he missed low with a 3-2 pitch – the 10th of the at-bat – to Kyle Seager to allow the Mariners to tie it up.

Mike Carp then slapped a grounder to Mark Teixeira but Teixeira was unable to turn it into a double play because of an errant throw to Jeter at the second base bag and the Mariners were able to take a 2-1 lead.

The score stayed that way because the Yankees were unable to produce a hit with runners in scoring position off a less-than-overpowering Iwakuma.

Iwakuma gave up only one run but surrendered six hits and three walks while striking out three in five innings. The Yankees did not even manage to get one hit or one walk off relievers Oliver Perez and Josh Kinney over the next two innings.

But Kinney opened the eighth inning by plunking Jeter in the left thigh with the first pitch.

Luetge was summoned and Robinson Cano and Teixeira greeted him with back-to-back singles to load the bases. Curtis Granderson then fouled out for the first out and set in motion the managerial moves that brought Nix to the plate with the game on the line.

Nova only gave up two runs on two hits in his five-plus innings of work. However, he walked six batters while striking out five. He left the game in the sixth inning after opening the inning by walking Jaso on four pitches for the third time and then issuing a second walk to Seager.

But Clay Rapada bailed Nova out by inducing Carp to hit into a double play and Phelps stranded Jaso on third by fanning Casper Wells.

The Yankees managed to keep the Mariners hitless for 7 1/3 innings after Michael Saunders and Jesus Montero singled off Nova with one out in the first inning. They did not get a hit again until Wells singled on a 0-2 pitch with two out in then ninth off Soriano.

But Soriano fanned Carlos Peguero to end the game.

With the victory, the Yankees improved their season ledger to 59-39 and they increased their lead in the American League East on the second-place Baltimore Orioles to eight games. The Mariners fell to 47-53.

PINSTRIPE POSITIVES

  • Nix’s clutch pinch-hit three-run double was his biggest hit since he was called up from Triple-A in early May. The Yankees were stranding runners in scoring position all day long and Nix was the unlikeliest hero. Give Girardi credit for choosing to remove Ibanez in favor of the weaker hitting Nix, which forced Wedge to bring in Kelley. Nix could see a lot of playing time now, barring a trade, as part of platoon at third base with Chavez to replace Rodriguez.
  • Phelps, 25, has looked very impressive in his last four appearances with the Yankees (covering two separate stints). He is 1-0 with an 0.93 ER. Phelps has given up only one run on two hits and three walks and struck out an amazing 17 batters in 9 2/3 innings. The Yankees very much needed another power arm in the bullpen and Phelps is providing it.
  • Jeter, batting in the second spot behind Ichiro Suzuki, was 3-for-4 and with an RBI and two runs scored. In his last nine games, Jeter is 12-for-32 (.375) with a home run, two RBIs and six runs scored. He has raised his season average to .311.

NAGGING NEGATIVES

  • Nova, despite the fact Jaso entered the game just 1-for-5 against him, decided to not throw a single strike to him in any of his three at-bats. The walk with two out in the third inning did not hurt. But walking Jaso in the first was followed by a walk to Seager to force in a run. Nova walked Jaso and Seagar to open the sixth and that ended his outing. The six walks in five-plus innings cost him a potential victory and it ended his day early because of his high pitch count.
  • Jones, pressed into service against a right-hander because of Nick Swisher’s injury, was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and he left five runners on base. Since his three-run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays on July 17, Jones is two for his last 18 at-bats (.111) with 10 strikeouts. His season average has dipped to .224.
  • Ibanez was not much better than Jones. He was 0-for-3 with a strikeout and stranded two runners. In his last five games, Ibanez is 3-for- 19 (.158) with one RBI and five strikeouts. His season batting average has slipped to .235.

BOMBER BANTER

Rodriguez’s broken left hand was fitted for a splint on Wednesday and he is scheduled to undergo an exam on Thursday with team doctor Christopher Ahmad. There is no timetable established for his return. Rodriguez suffered the injury in the eighth inning of Tuesday’s game when he was struck by a pitch from right-hander Felix Hernandez. Rodriguez was the third batter Hernandez had hit with a pitch in the game. The Yankees placed Rodriguez on the 15-day disabled list and recalled utility infielder Ramiro Pena from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.  . . .  Swisher said he hopes to be able to start in Friday”s game after missing the last five games with a strained left hip flexor. Swisher said he had no problems running in the outfield at Safeco Field before the game and he also was able to take some swings in the batting cage.

ON DECK

The Yankees will have a day off on Thursday to lick their wounds, physical and otherwise, before opening a weekend home series against a slumping Boston Red Sox team on Friday.

Phil Hughes (9-8, 4.09 ERA) will open the series for the Yankees. Hughes gave up just two runs on three hits and one walk and struck six batters over 7 2/3 innings in a game which the Yankees scored him just one run in a tough-luck loss to the Oakland Athletics on Saturday. Hughes is 2-6 with a 6.49 ERA lifetime against the Red Sox.

The Red Sox will counter with slop-tossing right-hander Aaron Cook (2-3, 3.50 ERA). Cook gave up five runs (three earned) on five hits over 6 1/3 innings in a loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday. He is 0-1 with a 7.94 ERA in his only meeting with the Yankees.

Game-time will be 7:05 p.m. EDT and the game will be telecast nationally by the MLB Network and locally by the YES Network.

 

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