New York Yankees vs Seattle Mariners Live Streaming Online Radio Commentary Espn 360 Gamecast Power Ranking May 28, 2011. After failing to score enough runs to put away the stingy Seattle Mariners, the New York Yankees might have even more trouble at the plate Saturday night.
Reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Felix Hernandez will try to add to his recent dominance of the Yankees while leading his surging team to its 10th win in 12 games.
New York, though, couldn't hold off Seattle in a 4-3 defeat and finished with five hits. The Yankees had hit .283 their previous nine games -- 30 points above their season average.
"We did our job as hitters and put three runs up on the board," right fielder Nick Swisher said. "But we let it slip away from us."
The Mariners (25-25), who scored all of their runs on groundouts, now have a chance to move above .500 for the first time since their 2-1 start.
"The way we've been playing lately we've been getting the breaks, we've been getting the big plays, the big hits. It's just rolling," reliever David Pauley said. "We're playing well, we're playing together as a team and it's the little things that are making a big difference."
They might have just the starter to help them accomplish that feat as Hernandez (5-4, 3.01 ERA) has a 0.51 ERA in four consecutive wins over the Yankees (27-22).
He beat New York three times last season while finishing with 13 victories, the fewest for a Cy Young-winning starter over a full season. Texas was the only other opponent he defeated more than once in 2010.
Hernandez also enters this start after matching a career high with 13 strikeouts Sunday in San Diego, conceding one run over eight innings to earn his first win in three starts.
Hernandez is 4-2 with a 2.31 ERA in his last seven outings and 2-1 with a 1.46 ERA in his last three at home.
"He's been doing great," catcher Miguel Olivo said. "He throws good every day, but (Sunday) he was more consistent."
The Yankees, meanwhile, will counter with Ivan Nova, who is 2-0 with a 0.71 ERA in his last two road starts. Nova (4-3, 4.29) earned one of those wins May 17 at Tampa Bay but gave up a career-high 11 hits to the New York Mets on Sunday.
The right-hander, who has never faced Seattle, yielded three runs in 6 2/3 innings and escaped without a loss when his team rallied for a 9-3 victory.
"I feel happy with the way I threw the ball," he told the team's website. "I've got to start thinking ahead and working ahead."
The Mariners have a 1.64 team ERA in the last 11 games, and their bullpen has given up two earned runs over the last 23 2/3 innings.
Swisher is mired in a 1-for-16 slump but has hit four home runs off Hernandez, the most of any other opposing hitter. Derek Jeter, who is 23 hits shy of 3,000, is 7 for 23 (.304) with two doubles against the right-hander, while Mark Teixeira, who hit his fifth homer in eight games Friday, is 14 for 47 (.298) with three home runs.
Reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Felix Hernandez will try to add to his recent dominance of the Yankees while leading his surging team to its 10th win in 12 games.
10:10 PM ET, May 28, 2011
Safeco Field, Seattle, Washington
Starting PitchersThe Yankees looked like they might earn a fourth straight road victory and eighth in 10 contests overall Friday after building a 3-0 lead versus red-hot rookie Michael Pineda.
New York: Nova (4-3, 4.29 ERA)
Seattle: Hernandez (5-4, 3.01 ERA)
New York, though, couldn't hold off Seattle in a 4-3 defeat and finished with five hits. The Yankees had hit .283 their previous nine games -- 30 points above their season average.
"We did our job as hitters and put three runs up on the board," right fielder Nick Swisher said. "But we let it slip away from us."
The Mariners (25-25), who scored all of their runs on groundouts, now have a chance to move above .500 for the first time since their 2-1 start.
"The way we've been playing lately we've been getting the breaks, we've been getting the big plays, the big hits. It's just rolling," reliever David Pauley said. "We're playing well, we're playing together as a team and it's the little things that are making a big difference."
They might have just the starter to help them accomplish that feat as Hernandez (5-4, 3.01 ERA) has a 0.51 ERA in four consecutive wins over the Yankees (27-22).
He beat New York three times last season while finishing with 13 victories, the fewest for a Cy Young-winning starter over a full season. Texas was the only other opponent he defeated more than once in 2010.
Hernandez also enters this start after matching a career high with 13 strikeouts Sunday in San Diego, conceding one run over eight innings to earn his first win in three starts.
Hernandez is 4-2 with a 2.31 ERA in his last seven outings and 2-1 with a 1.46 ERA in his last three at home.
"He's been doing great," catcher Miguel Olivo said. "He throws good every day, but (Sunday) he was more consistent."
The Yankees, meanwhile, will counter with Ivan Nova, who is 2-0 with a 0.71 ERA in his last two road starts. Nova (4-3, 4.29) earned one of those wins May 17 at Tampa Bay but gave up a career-high 11 hits to the New York Mets on Sunday.
The right-hander, who has never faced Seattle, yielded three runs in 6 2/3 innings and escaped without a loss when his team rallied for a 9-3 victory.
"I feel happy with the way I threw the ball," he told the team's website. "I've got to start thinking ahead and working ahead."
The Mariners have a 1.64 team ERA in the last 11 games, and their bullpen has given up two earned runs over the last 23 2/3 innings.
Swisher is mired in a 1-for-16 slump but has hit four home runs off Hernandez, the most of any other opposing hitter. Derek Jeter, who is 23 hits shy of 3,000, is 7 for 23 (.304) with two doubles against the right-hander, while Mark Teixeira, who hit his fifth homer in eight games Friday, is 14 for 47 (.298) with three home runs.