Mariners 4 – Yankees 2
SEATTLE – How do the Yankees lose two of three to awful Orioles at home on their way into Boston, take five in a row from their blood rivals and then drop two of three to the putrid Mariners after leaving Fenway Park?
“We did everything right in Boston,” Johnny Damon said after Jarrod Washburn out-pitched Randy Johnson in a 4-2 Mariners win last night at Safeco Field. “We moved runners and took our walks. Here we didn’t do as well. I felt like we should have won every game. We played tough, but sometimes tough isn’t good enough.” Johnson was tough, but Washburn tougher. Johnson notched a completegame, eight-inning outing, but the four runs he gave up in the first three innings were enough to get him beat because Washburn allowed two runs in 6 1/3 innings and the Mariners bullpen provided 2 2/3 shutout innings.
“I pitched as good as I could,” said Johnson, who fell to 14-10. “When you look into it, Jarrod pitched better. Sometimes you get out-pitched.” Coupled with the Red Sox 2-1 win over the Angels, the Yankees’ loss shaved their AL East lead to 5 ½ games.
With the Yankees opening a three-game series tonight in Anaheim against a team that always gives them headaches, those five wins in Boston are going to look a lot better.
And remember, the Yankees are starting Jaret Wright, Cory Lidle and Jeff Karstens against the Angels.
Alex Rodriguez didn’t start for the second straight game due to a viral throat infection. He entered the game as a pinch-hitter for Nick Green with two outs in the ninth and fanned, much to the delight of the 44,634 on hand. Rodriguez is likely to start tonight at third.
With three tilts remaining in a 21-games-in-20days stretch, the Yankees are 10-8.
There were several turning points for the Yankees.
Ichiro Suzuki made a back-to-the plate catch on Green’s leadoff drive to center in the seventh one pitch before Damon launched his 21st homer into the right-field seats.
Mariners left fielder Chris Snelling made a running catch of Damon’s bases-loaded liner for the final out of the fourth, and the Yankees failed to turn Derek Jeter’s leadoff double in the fifth into a run.
Johnson gave up an RBI single to Jose Lopez on a 0-2 pitch in the third and Richie Sexson followed with a two-run double off another 0-2 pitch.
Yet, according to Joe Torre, Robinson Cano getting picked off first by catcher Kenji Johjima in the fourth was huge.
“He was too far off with no place to go,” Torre said of Cano, who was on first with Jorge Posada on second and no outs when caught. “That took the air out the balloon.” Washburn followed the pickoff by fanning Melky Cabrera, but then walked Craig Wilson and hit Green to load the bases.
Damon then sliced a 1-2 pitch to left that Snelling snagged.
“I should have hit it softer,” Damon said.
As for Johnson, Torre would take the effort every night.
“He was great, the 0-2 pitches broke our backs,” Torre said.
“It’s always something,” said Johnson, who had a threegame winning streak halted.
“There was a check swing [Lopez] and a roller up the line [Willie Bloomquist]. I just got out-pitched.”