Yanks Go Yard Radio Show Rewind: Yankees at Mariners Preview (6/1-6/3)

On last night’s episode of the Yanks Go Yard Radio Show, brought to you by KNODA.com, I started off the show by talking about the New York Yankees (26-25) disappointing series in Oakland. After they swept the Royals, New York’s offense was inconsistent against the A’s. This included being shut out by Jesse Chavez in the series finale on Sunday. Plus, Chris Capuano and Nathan Eovaldi struggled against Oakland’s offense during this series.

There were some positives during this series. Even though Slade Heathcott went on the disabled list due to a quad injury, Ramon Flores got the call-up and got his first major league hit in the second inning of Sunday’s loss. In addition, New York announced over the weekend that Masahiro Tanaka will get the start Wednesday afternoon against the Seattle Mariners

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After losing three of four in Oakland, New York will end their west coast trip with a three game series in Seattle that begins tonight. The Mariners (24-26) were one of the trendy picks to win the AL West and even the AL pennant in 2015, but they are off to a slow start and are in fourth place in their division.

When you talk Yankees-Mariners, the conversation usually starts with second baseman Robinson Cano. It was thought Cano would have a better year in Seattle with the addition of Nelson Cruz, who has been excellent this season. However, that hasn’t been the case. Cano is hitting .251 this season with two home runs and 16 RBI’s. That being said, he would still be an upgrade over what the Yanks have at second now.

Of course, Nelson Cruz has been the story for Lloyd McClendon’s team. Seattle’s designated hitter is hitting .335 with 18 home runs and 38 RBI’s. He has a .660 slugging percentage and a 1.051 .OPS. He has adjusted to SAFECO Field well, as he has hit .302 with four home runs at home.

The interesting matchup this series will be if Andrew Miller, the Yankees closer, gets to face Cruz. Against lefties, the 34-year-old is hitting .516 with six home runs and eight RBI’s.

On the mound, Felix Hernandez (tonight’s Mariners starter) has been excellent. The former Cy Young Award winner is 8-1 with a 1.91 ERA and is third in the American League lead in strikeouts with 71. Unfortunately, the rest of Seattle’s rotation has not helped him out. With Hernandez’s great numbers, Seattle has a 3.77 starter’s ERA (fourth in the AL). With Hisashi Iwakuma and James Paxton both on the disabled list, the M’s will look to Taijuan Walker to elevate his game. Walker, Wednesday’s Mariners starter, gave up two hits over eight innings and struck out eight in a win over the Indians on May 29.

To get some more insight on the Mariners heading into this series, I spoke with Ric Dickens, a writer over at Sodo Mojo. Ric and I talked about Seattle’s early struggles and closer Fernando Rodney, who has only blown two saves, but has an ERA of 6.75. Here are some of the other topics we discussed:

Is there panic in Seattle about Robinson Cano’s slow start?
Nelson Cruz’a amazing start
Lack of help in the rotation behind Hernandez – Will Seattle make a big trade?
Pitching Matchup Breakdown
King Felix showing more efficiency in 2015 than in past years
Michael Pineda (tonight’s Yankees starter) making his return to SAFECO Field.
CC Sabathia (Tuesday’s Yankees starter) giving New York length, but struggles as the game goes on
Scouting Report on Seatte’s likely starter Tuesday, Mike Montgomery
Can Walker turn his season around after a great start last time out?
What to expect from Masahiro Tanaka on Wednesday afternoon?
Mariners Players To Watch: Brad Miller and Chris Taylor
Yankees Players To Watch: Alex Rodriguez and Brian McCann

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