After taking two out of three from the talented Padres, the Yankees hopped on a plane and departed for the Pacific Northwest to take on the Mariners. Seattle has been playing some impressive baseball of late, winning six of their last seven, albeit against Oakland and Pittsburgh.
The AL West squad ended their infamous playoff drought last season, after going 90-72 and snatching a wild card spot. Hopes were even higher for this season, and while a shaky start raises some questions for this squad, it is still a team fully capable of making a run into the postseason. The Mariners’ greatest strength this season has undoubtedly been their starting pitching, which will certainly give the Yankee lineup plenty of work to do in this three-game set out West.
Monday: Domingo Germán vs. Bryce Miller (9:40 pm ET)
Domingo Germán is slated to make his return from the 10-game suspension he was given for the use of the ol’ sticky stuff. The righty has done a mostly nice job this season for the Yanks: over nine starts and 58 innings, he owns a 3.75 ERA and 4.20 FIP. Nothing incredible, but he’s gotten the job done. His last four starts have been some of his best of the year. His last was shortened, but featured three perfect innings against the Jays, and he’s allowed two or fewer runs in each of his last four starts dating back to the beginning of the month.
On the Mariners’ side, Bryce Miller has been a phenom to start his big league career. He owns a 1.15 ERA over his first five starts, all of which have been at least six innings, and three of which saw him keeping opposing lineups out of the run column. The 24-year-old righty owns an electric, 70-grade fastball and has found tremendous success in the bigs thus far. He has excelled at keeping opposing batters off-base, a run the Bombers will have to try and end in his sixth start.
Tuesday: Nestor Cortes vs. Logan Gilbert (9:40 pm ET)
Nasty Nestor has had a bit of trouble repeating the resounding success of his previous two seasons. The lefty currently owns a 4.78 FIP, and is posting the lowest strikeout rate that he has in a meaningful big league season. Over his last three outings, he’s given up 12 runs over 16.1 innings, and has been bit by the long ball more than often than usual over the course of the year. The entertaining lefty will hope to right the ship against a talented M’s lineup.
Seattle’s talented young pitching doesn’t end with Miller, as the 26-year-old Gilbert has been excellent for some time now. His still-solid 3.60 ERA is supplemented by his 2.79 FIP, which slots him in the top 10 among qualified Major League starters. He has been consistently good for the better part of three seasons now, and seems to have fully realized his prospect potential. His last start, against the Athletics, was one of his better ones this year, as he allowed two runs in eight innings, with a half-dozen K’s.
Wednesday: Clarke Schmidt vs. Luis Castillo (9:40 pm ET)
Clarke Schmidt probably shouldn’t be in the rotation of a great team, but it’s what the circ*mstances call for at the moment. The righty has an ERA closer to six than it is to five, but is coming off of a couple of solid starts. Against the Reds and then the Orioles, Schmidt pitched five frames in each, and allowed two and one earned runs, respectively. He is also, at least, striking out more hitters and walking less than he did in his solid big league stint last season.
The pitching gauntlet seems relentless in this series, as it wraps up with the Yanks taking on Luis Castillo. He has had some ups and downs, but has generally been an excellent starting pitcher since his debut in 2017. In 2023, Castillo is experiencing what would be a career year. His 2.93 FIP also slides into the top ten in the sport, and he’s slashed his walk rate to below six percent. Castillo’s last start was a gem, as he hurled six scoreless frames withwith 10 strikeouts against the Pirates. His talent has been undeniable since the start, and the Yankees will have to take him on seemingly at full strength.
