Yanks Go Yard Series Preview Show: Yankees at Mariners
By Ricky Keeler
Well, the West Coast trip for the Yankees so far has been a bumpy road down Route 66. Over the course of the four games with the Oakland Athletics, the A’s were able to get the big hits late in games and found a way to come up with a huge four-game sweep of the Bronx Bombers. A lot of Yankee fans feel that this series personifies why this team will not win in October. With the injury to Nick Swisher on Saturday, does Brian Cashman now consider bringing in a small piece to help out the outfield at the trade deadline? We shall see, but now the scene shifts to Seattle.
The Seattle Mariners have been a team that is known mainly for their lack of offensive power. This is personified by their two young hitters, second baseman Dustin Ackley and first baseman Justin Smoak, hitting no higher than .156 in July. However, over the weekend, what stood out for them against the Tampa Bay Rays was their solid pitching. In their two wins against Tampa, they gave up a combined two runs. This includes getting eight innings from Blake Beavan on Sunday.
It seems each time the Mariners play the Yankees, there is one player who appeared to be at the center of the series. That player is star pitcher Felix Hernandez. Yankee fans have been clamoring to land King Felix for years and rightfully so because he always seems to have that upper hand. However, New York got the better of him the first time they met this season. After a disappointing set against the A’s, the Yankees need a strong showing versus the Mariners to carry some momentum into the next Boston Red Sox series.
For this show, I spoke with my good friend, Bryant Bartlett from Sodomojo.com to talk about all things Seattle Mariners. We speak about the pitching matchups, but also the future of Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle’s possible trade deadline moves, and an old New York pitcher that could bring the Bombers some problems out of the bullpen.
Enjoy the show and tune in on Thursday as we break down the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry in the Bronx once again!