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 On Monday night, in Pineda's first return to Safeco Field, the New
York Yankees starter taught Hernandez a thing or two.
The New York Yankees' 26-year-old starting pitcher out-dueled his
former teammate on the way to a 7-2 win over the Seattle Mariners.
"I was very excited today for this game. I was very happy to be here
and pitching in Safeco Field. I'm happy tonight," Pineda told
reporters after the win. "I had really good focus today and tried to
do my best on the mound."
Pineda (7-2) allowed two earned runs over six innings, while
Hernandez turned in his worst start of the season and one of the
most forgettable of his 10-year career. The 29-year-old Hernandez
(8-2) allowed season highs of seven earned runs and five walks in 4
2/3 innings.
Hernandez opened the game with three perfect innings before
struggling with his command and the dirt on the pitcher's mound in
the fourth. The veteran continually kicked at the dirt and tried to
remove it from his cleats as the game started to unravel.
Afterward, Hernandez told reporters the mound wasn't much of a
factor in his performance, and manager Lloyd McClendon echoed those
sentiments.
"He just didn't pitch well," McClendon said. "He's human. "I'm not
going to sit here and make excuses and say the mound was the reason.
He just didn't pitch well."
Pineda, meanwhile, was nearly flawless for six innings before the
Mariners finally got to him in the seventh. A Mark Teixeira grand
slam in the fifth inning had helped give Pineda a 7-0 lead, and he
had nine strikeouts and just four hits allowed over six scoreless
innings before Seattle opened the seventh with three consecutive
hits.
The Yankees (27-25) had just seven hits but got plenty of offense,
thanks to Teixeira's grand slam, a wild pitch and five walks.
Teixeira's homer did the most damage, giving the Yankees a 7-0 lead
before Hernandez could get the second out of the inning.
"It felt big," Teixeira said of the home run. "The way Michael was
pitching, we didn't know how many we'd need. But anytime you can
score seven off Felix Hernandez, we'll take it. It doesn't happen
often."
Seattle (24-27) lost its third game in a row and could match its
longest losing streak of the season if the Yankees win on Tuesday
night. McClendon shook up his batting order before the game, but
Seattle didn't get a single runner past first base until the seventh
inning.
Hernandez retired the first nine batters before running into trouble
in the fourth.
After giving up back-to-back singles to center fielder Brett Gardner
and third baseman Chase Headley to lead off the inning, Hernandez
threw a wild pitch that got past catcher Mike Zunino and brought in
Gardner from third base for the first run of the game. Hernandez
then walked the next two batters before Headley scored on a
bases-loaded double play for a 2-0 New York lead.
The Yankees had two hits and three walks in the fourth, yet scored
both runs without the benefit of an RBI.
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Things got even worse for Hernandez in the fifth. Two walks and a
single loaded the bases before he finally got an out -- on a Headley
sacrifice fly that increased the Yankees' lead to 3-0. Designated
hitter Alex Rodriguez loaded the bases again with a single before
Teixeira stepped in and delivered his ninth career grand slam, and
his 15th home run of the year, on a 2-0 pitch. Right fielder Carlos
Beltran's double two batters later ended Hernandez's night after 85
pitches.
The five walks and seven earned runs were season highs for
Hernandez, who went into the game ranked third in the American
League with a 1.95 ERA. By the time the book was closed on him after
Monday's fifth inning, his season ERA had risen to 2.63.
Hernandez had given up eight total runs over five starts in May. One
start into June, he's already allowed seven runs.
"He's human, I guess," McClendon said. "He lost it. He just didn't
have it."
"I don't know what happened," Hernandez said. "I just lost my
command."
The Yankees' Teixeira said part of the key to New York's success was
staying patient.
"Give our hitters credit," he said. "We didn't swing at bad
pitches."
NOTES: Seattle still has not named a Tuesday starter, but LHP Mike
Montgomery was in the clubhouse late Monday afternoon and appears to
be the guy who will replace injured starter James Paxton. The
25-year-old Montgomery would be making his major league debut, as he
never made it to the big league during seven seasons in the Kansas
City and Tampa Bay organizations. ... The Mariners promoted Mayckol
Guaipe, a right-handed reliever, from Triple-A before Monday's game.
To make room for Guaipe, Seattle optioned SS Chris Taylor to
Triple-A. ... Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon shuffled his lineup
Monday, with 1B Logan Morrison leading off for the first time and 2B
Robinson Cano moving up one spot to bat second. RF Nelson Cruz (No.
3) and 3B Kyle Seager (cleanup) also moved up from their usual
spots. ... The Yankees announced that RHP Adam Warren will remain in
the rotation, with LHP Chris Capuano moving to the bullpen to clear
room for the return of Masahiro Tanaka. Warren had a 3.41 ERA in
May, earning him a longer look as a starter, while Capuano is the
fourth lefty reliever in the bullpen. Tanaka is scheduled to start
Wednesday's game at Seattle, although the Yankees will have to
activate him from the 15-day disabled list first.
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