Yankees at Mariners
The New York Yankees attempt to clinch the series when they visit the Seattle Mariners on Saturday for the third contest of their four-game set. New York lost two of three at Minnesota to fall to 3-4 on its 11-game road trip before capturing the first two against Seattle, including a 5-1 triumph on Friday.
CC Sabathia struck out five in as many innings to notch the win on his 37th birthday while rookie slugger Aaron Judge belted a monstrous homer that reached the last row of the upper deck at Safeco Field, giving him a major league-leading 31 blasts. Didi Gregorius collected three hits for his third multi-hit performance in four games and fifth over the first nine contests of the Yankees' trek. Seattle will be seeking the first win of its 10-game homestand after scoring just one run in each of the first two games of the series with the Yankees. Kyle Seager has hit safely in seven of his last eight contests after producing an RBI single for the Mariners on Friday.
TV: 9:10 p.m. ET, YES (New York), ROOT Northwest (Seattle)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees RH Masahiro Tanaka (7-9, 5.33 ERA) vs. Mariners LH Ariel Miranda (7-4, 4.35)
Tanaka has lost each of his last two starts, including an outing at Boston on Sunday in which he allowed three runs and eight hits over 7 2/3 innings. The setback dropped the 28-year-old native of Japan to 3-5 with a 5.88 ERA and .302 batting average against in 10 road outings this season. Tanaka has yet to lose to the Mariners, going 5-0 with one complete game and a 1.95 ERA in five career starts.
Miranda has struggled in his last two starts, surrendering 11 runs in 10 2/3 innings, but escaped with a pair of no-decisions. The 28-year-old Cuban has won only one of his last seven outings, serving up at least two home runs five times during that span. Miranda, who never has faced New York, has posted a 3-2 record, 3.23 ERA and his first career complete game in nine home starts this season while limiting opponents to a .190 batting average.
WALK-OFFS
1. Mariners SS Jean Segura has recorded nine multi-hit performances over his last 16 contests.
2. New York 3B Todd Frazier is off to a slow start with his new team, going 1-for-9 in three games.
3. Seattle made a pair of trades Friday, sending RHPs Mark Lowe and Jean Machi to the Chicago White Sox for cash considerations while acquiring LHP Marco Gonzales - who will report to Triple-A Tacoma - from St. Louis for OF Tyler O'Neill.