What it means: That the Yankees can make great pitchers look ordinary and ordinary pitchers look great. For the second straight night, they pummelled the stud -- King Felix Hernandez tonight, Michael Pineda on Friday -- only to go dead against the Mariners bullpen. And Mariano Rivera has another day of mere mortality, allowing the winning run on three singles, two of them bloops, in the 12th inning. Now, the Yankees have lost a series to a team that was under .500 before this thing started. This could turn out to be a pivotal, and very damaging, West Coast trip.
What's good: Mark Teixeira, who continued his punishment of King Felix with a two-run homer in the third (No. 4 off Hernandez). Tex was walked his next two times up. Robbie Cano, who snapped out of his funk to hit a solo homer in the second. Derek Jeter, whose two hits brought him within 21 of 3,000. Curtis Granderson, whose triple off Hernandez tied the game in the seventh. David Robertson, who has struck out five of the last eight batters he has faced. And Joba Chamberlain, who pitched a strong ninth, striking out two. In fact, before Mariano's meltdown, the bullpen, so awful on Friday, had rebounded to pitch 7-1/3 scoreless innings after Nova went out.
What's not so good: Ivan Nova, who wasn't terrible but failed to last four innings and gave up the 3-1 lead his team had given him against Hernandez in the first 2-1/2 innings. Nick Swisher, who took another 0-for-4 until an 11th inning single and looks like he's never seen a curveball, especially when batting lefthanded. Alex Rodriguez stranded five baserunners in going 0-for-4 before his two-out single in the 10th.
What's good: Mark Teixeira, who continued his punishment of King Felix with a two-run homer in the third (No. 4 off Hernandez). Tex was walked his next two times up. Robbie Cano, who snapped out of his funk to hit a solo homer in the second. Derek Jeter, whose two hits brought him within 21 of 3,000. Curtis Granderson, whose triple off Hernandez tied the game in the seventh. David Robertson, who has struck out five of the last eight batters he has faced. And Joba Chamberlain, who pitched a strong ninth, striking out two. In fact, before Mariano's meltdown, the bullpen, so awful on Friday, had rebounded to pitch 7-1/3 scoreless innings after Nova went out.
What's not so good: Ivan Nova, who wasn't terrible but failed to last four innings and gave up the 3-1 lead his team had given him against Hernandez in the first 2-1/2 innings. Nick Swisher, who took another 0-for-4 until an 11th inning single and looks like he's never seen a curveball, especially when batting lefthanded. Alex Rodriguez stranded five baserunners in going 0-for-4 before his two-out single in the 10th.
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