This Tuesday the (70-37) New York Yankees and the (59-51) Seattle Mariners will play game two of this three-game series. The first pitch will be thrown out at 10:10 PM EST inside T-Mobile Park. These two teams just played one another this past week, as the Mariners won the previous series.
The New York Yankees are coming into this one after being swept by the St. Louis Cardinals. The Yankees struggled at the plate in the first two games of their last series, as they only scored three combined runs in their first two losses. They must be better at the plate in this one if they want to end this small mid-season skid.
The Seattle Mariners are entering this one after splitting their last series with the Los Angeles Angels. The Mariners had a chance to win that series, but they ended ups losing in extras in game four. Seattle must be better on the mound and in the field if they want to challenge New York in this one.
This game was written/published before last night's results.
The Yankees are currently (4-6) in their last 10 games, as they haven't had it rolling over the past two weeks. Luckily, New York still has a 9.5-game lead over the Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. At the plate, they are scoring 5.34 runs per game and they are hitting .246 as a team. This is the most runs averaged per game and the 14th highest overall team batting average. They have shown that they can consistently reach base and they aren't one-dimensional at the plate. New York can string together hits or they can smash the ball over the outfield walls. They are averaging 1.74 bombs per game, which is the most in the MLB. It is difficult to score with the Yankees, as they can attack you so many different ways. They also have one of the deepest batting lineups that I have seen, as they have multiple guys that can get the job done. I expect the Yankees to stay aggressive once they have reached base, as well. They have alrea dy stolen 70 bases this season, which is the fourth most in the league. They will do whatever it takes to get their men closer to home plate.
In the field, New York has also been solid this season. They are currently allowing 3.49 runs per game and they have the fourth highest overall team fielding percentage. They don't make many mistakes in the infield and they always know where to go with the ball to get the nearest out. Scoring on the Yankees isn't easy and they don't give their opponents many chances to score. They have only committed 47 errors this season, which is the fourth least in the league.
According to MLB.com, the Yankees will start Gerrit Cole on the mound in this one. He has been great this season, as he is (9-4) with a 3.56 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. He has been a beast on the road this season, as well. He is currently (5-1) with a 4.28 ERA. He did lose his last start to the Mariners, though. He only pitched for 6. 0 innings but gave up seven hits and six earned runs.