Sweep Revenge: Yankees take all three games at Seattle

Home field? Let’s just say that this “advantage” meant nothing in the six games between the Yankees and Seattle Mariners this season. With their 6-3 victory on Thursday night at Safeco Field, the visiting Yankees (34-31) completed a three-game sweep of the Mariners (34-32), who had swept New York in the teams’ previous three matchups in the Bronx this year.

SS Derek Jeter keyed the Yankees’ offense by collecting three hits in four at bats. Jeter singled and scored runs in the first and third innings, and he drove home a pair of runs with his third knock of the night in the fifth inning. The latter hit afforded New York a 6-1 lead. The captain collected seven hits in 12 at bats (.583) in the series after coming to Seattle with only eight knocks in his previous 46 at bats (.174).

Handed a big lead, RHP Chase Whitley economically mowed the Mariners down. Whitley (2-0; 2.41 ERA) surrendered just two runs on five hits and one hit batter while striking out six over a career-high 7.2 innings. He threw only 82 pitches.

New York’s outfielders contributed three incredible catches, all against the top of the respective walls, in support of their pitchers. CF Jacoby Ellsbury stole an RBI double from 2B Robinson Cano in the fifth inning, CF Brett Gardner took a double away from C Mike Zunino in the seventh inning, and RF Ichiro Suzuki robbed DH Stefen Romero of an extra-base hit in the ninth inning.

Gardner replaced Ellsbury in centerfield in the seventh inning after Ellsbury departed the game with right hip tightness.

The Yankees scored six runs off LHP Roenis Elias in 3.1 innings. Ellsbury commenced scoring with a two-run homerun in the first inning, and LF Alfonso Soriano laced a two-run double off Elias (5-5; 4.13 ERA) in the third inning for a 4-1 lead.

But Soriano, who had been benched in the set’s first two games, struck out in each of his final three at bats. The outfielder swung and missed at eight of the 10 pitches he saw during these plate appearances, including seven breaking balls.

Seeing his first action since May 6 due to a back injury, RHP Shawn Kelley was crushed for a run on two hits in the ninth inning. RHP David Robertson righted the ship, however, striking out the final two batters to earn his 16th save in 18 chances this season.

The Yankees avoided scoring four or fewer runs for a 13th consecutive contest, which would have been the club’s longest string of such futility since a 13-game streak between Aug. 20 and Sept. 2, 1987. The 12-game streak was New York’s longest string of scoring fewer than five runs since another 12-game period from Sept. 9-21, 1991.

Tuesday notes: Yankees 3 Mariners 2

1. The Bombers broke out of a 2-2 tie in the eighth inning. Jeter crushed a one-out ground rule double against RHP Hisashi Iwakuma, and Ellsbury brought Jeter home with a RBI single against LHP Charlie Furbush. Prior to this rally, Iwakuma (4-3; 2.79 ERA) hadn’t allowed a run since the first inning.

2. New York made the most of its limited scoring opportunities. The Yankees, who went a dismal 1-17 (.059) with runners in scoring position during Sunday’s 2-1 loss at Kansas City, collected three hits in five such at bats (.600) on Tuesday.

3. Seattle failed to win four consecutive games in a single season against the Yankees, a feat the Mariners have not accomplished since 1997. That year, the Mariners swept a three-game set at Yankee Stadium between July 25 and July 27, and took the first game of the teams’ ensuing series at the now-demolished Kingdome on Aug. 22.

4. After relieving LHP Vidal Nuno to successfully record the final out of the sixth inning, RHP Dillon Betances surrendered both a run and New York’s 2-1 lead in the bottom of the seventh. Betances (4-0; 1.69 ERA) struggled with his command; he plunked Zunino on a curveball, bounced a curve that allowed Zunino to move to second, and hung a curve on LF Dustin Ackley’s game-tying RBI single.

5. Nuno was solid, surrendering just one run on four hits and a walk over 5.2 innings. The southpaw also received ample help from his outfield defense. Suzuki made a leaping catch to rob Ackley of extra bases in the second inning, and Ellsbury contributed a pair of stellar plays. With two runners in scoring position, New York’s centerfielder ended the fourth inning with a crashing catch against the wall, and he stole a hit from Cano with a sliding catch in the sixth inning.

6. DH Carlos Beltran secured his first multi-hit game since May 2, a span of 13 games for Beltran, who missed 21 consecutive contests between May 13 and June 4 due to a bone spur in his right elbow. Beltran’s two-out RBI double against Iwakuma in the first inning afforded the visitors a 1-0 lead.

7. C Brian McCann followed Beltran’s clutch knock with a RBI infield single. Mariners’ SS Brad Miller showed good range to keep the ball on the infield and prevent an additional run from scoring.

Wednesday notes: Yankees 4 Mariners 2

1. As has been typical this season, RHP Masahiro Tanaka dominated. The rookie surrendered just two runs on six hits and one walk while striking out 11 over nine innings.

2. The complete game was the second this season for Tanaka (10-1; 2.02 ERA), making him one of only four American League pitchers to hurl multiple complete games thus far in 2014. Also, his 2.02 ERA is the best in the American League, and his 10 wins are tied for the most in the majors with Toronto Blue Jays’ LHP Mark Buehrle.

3. Tanaka showed poise after Cano launched a two-run homerun with one out in the bottom of the ninth. Tanaka proceeded to catch the next two batters, 3B Kyle Seager and 1B Logan Morrison, looking to end the night.

4. New York scored four runs in five innings against Mariners’ RHP Chris Young. Ellsbury commenced scoring with a RBI single in the third inning, and 1B Mark Teixeira launched a three-run dinger for a 4-0 lead in the fifth.

5. Though New York didn’t dent home plate in the first inning, the tone for the game was perhaps set there because the Yankees forced Young (5-4; 3.68 ERA) to throw 31 pitches.

6. Jeter stole a pair of bases, one apiece in the first and seventh innings. It was Jeter’s first multi-stolen base game since he swiped two bags in a 9-5 win over the Boston Red Sox on Sept. 25, 2009.

7. An umpiring controversy occurred in the ninth inning. With two outs and Gardner at first base, Ellsbury grounded a ball down the right field line that 1B Umpire Mark Wegner deemed foul. Replays, however, showed that the ball had crossed over the first base bag, making it fair. Manager Joe Girardi couldn’t challenge the play because fair/foul calls in the infield aren’t reviewable.

The Bombers will now head to Oakland for a three-game set against the Athletics (40-26). Yankees’ RHP David Phelps (1-4; 4.88 ERA) is scheduled to oppose A’s RHP Sonny Gray (6-2; 2.83 ERA) in Friday’s series opener.