While Aaron Judge is slowly recovering, his New York Yankees supporting cast is struggling to fill the void.
Coming off an ugly showing in Boston, the Yankees will return home Tuesday carrying a four-game losing streak as they host the Seattle Mariners in the opener of a three-game series.
The Yankees are 4-8 since Judge kicked a concrete curb beneath the right-field fence at Dodger Stadium on June 3 while running down a fly ball by J.D. Martinez. During Judge’s absence, New York has scored more than three runs in four games and one of those was in an ugly 15-5 loss at Boston on Friday.
The rest of the series against the Red Sox did not go any better, as the Yankees scored three total runs and produced nine hits in Sunday’s doubleheader. Gleyber Torres hit a two-run homer three batters into the 6-2 opening-game defeat and Anthony Rizzo had an RBI groundout early in the nightcap, a 4-1 loss.
Rizzo is among those being counted on to deliver offense without Judge, but he is 4-for-48 (.083) this month after sitting out three games with a neck strain. Giancarlo Stanton is just 5-for-41 (.122) with 15 strikeouts since returning from a hamstring injury June 2.
“There’s 30 teams in baseball right now that don’t have Aaron Judge on it. I don’t think it’s different for any other team,” Rizzo said. “He’s our captain. He’s our leader. But one guy doesn’t make the biggest difference in the world.
At 35-35, Seattle has been glued to the .500 mark for most of the season. Since losing two of three to the Yankees at home May 29-31, the Mariners have gone 6-8.
Seattle heads to New York after taking two of three at home from the Chicago White Sox despite striking out 39 times.
On Sunday, the Mariners struck out 16 times alone against White Sox right-hander Lance Lynn, and 18 times overall, but they were able to earn a 5-1 victory. The Mariners’ Julio Rodriguez hit a two-run double in the third inning and Jarred Kelenic hit a bases-clearing triple in the eighth.
It was a nice rebound one day after Seattle went 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position and blowing a one-run lead in the ninth inning of Saturday’s 4-3 loss.
“That’s a nice series win,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “That’s a big bounce-back. I mentioned it earlier today, but I think everybody left here very disappointed last night. We should have won the game yesterday.”
Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole (7-1, 2.75 ERA), who has allowed two runs or less in 12 of his 15 starts this season, opens the series. Cole had a no-decision Wednesday against the New York Mets when he allowed one run on four hits in six innings.
Cole is 6-3 with a 2.25 ERA in 11 career starts against the Mariners and faced them in back-to-back starts last year. On Aug. 3 at New York, he allowed three homers in the first inning and six runs in six innings, and Aug. 9 at Seattle, he pitched seven scoreless innings in a no-decision.
Mariners right-hander George Kirby (6-5, 3.24) will be pitching with family and friends in the stands as the Rye, N.Y. native makes his first career start against the Yankees in the Bronx. Kirby was impressive yet was left with a no-decision against the Yankees at home on May 31, when he allowed three hits over eight scoreless innings.
Kirby’s most recent outing was last Tuesday, when he allowed an unearned run and three hits while getting a career-high 10 strikeouts in a 9-3 home win over the Miami Marlins.
–Field Level Media