Masahiro Tanaka In Command As Yankees Top Mariners

Masahiro Tanaka pitched seven strong innings as the New York Yankees defeated the Seattle Mariners 4-3 Sunday afternoon.

Seattle jumped on top in the first inning on a series of weak ground balls. With the bases loaded, Kyle Seager brought Seth Smith home on a force out. Tanaka avoided a big inning by striking out Adam Lind for the final out.

The Yankees struck back in the bottom of the second. Brian McCann reached first after being hit with a pitch by Seattle starter Hisashi Iwakuma. Alex Rodriguez, struggling with a three for thirty slump,  lined his second home run of the year to put the Yankees on top 2-1.

The Yankees lead increased to 3-1 in the third. Jacoby Ellsbury singled. He then stole second base and hustled to third when Mariner catcher Steve Clevenger‘s throw went wild. Brett Gardner followed with a ground rule double, scoring Ellsbury. [related category]

In the top of the fourth, Seager reached on a grounder that uncharacteristically made its way through Mark Teixeira‘s legs at first base. Clevenger singled to bring Seager home and draw Seattle closer at 3-2. The Mariners tied the score in the fifth. Aoki reached third when his line drive zipped passed Ellsbury.  Smith singled to bring Aoki home.

But the Yankees scored the decisive run in the bottom of the fifth. Gardner and Carlos Beltran singled resulting in runners on first and third. With Mark Teixeira at bat, Gardner scored on a wild pitch to put the Yankees up for good.

Tanaka became the first Yankees starting pitcher this season to complete seven innings. He allowed three runs on six hits while striking out six. He had good command and did a good job of limiting his pitch count after the first inning.

Dellin Betances entered in the eighth and struck out the side. Andrew Miller came in and did the same in the ninth. With the return of Aroldis Chapman fast approaching, things can only get even better for the Yankees bullpen.