Seattle: Ben Gamel showed the Yankees his value as an everyday player.
Gamel, who began his career with New York, homered early, doubled and scored on Nelson Cruz’s 10th-inning single that lifted the Seattle Mariners to a 6-5 win Saturday night.
“I can’t think this organisation enough for giving me an opportunity,” said Gamel, acquired from the Yankees last August. “It’s been kind of an up-and-down career so far. Love it over here.”
Masahiro Tanaka had another shaky outing as New York trailed 4-2 before Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 32nd home run, a sixth inning drive against Steve Cishek. Matt Holliday’s sacrifice fly tied the score in the eighth, but former Yankee Robinson Cano homered against David Robertson leading off the bottom half.
“The pitch was about as good as I could throw it,” said Robertson, who returned to the Yankees this week in a trade from the Chicago White Sox. “I don’t think I could do anything better with it.”
Edwin Diaz blew a save for the fourth time in 22 chances when Didi Gregorius walked leading off the ninth, pinch-runner Jacoby Ellsbury stole second and Torreyes, starting because Starlin Castro’s ailing right hamstring is causing another trip to the disabled list, followed by a single.
Gamel opened the 10th with a double against Adam Warren (2-2), Cano was intentionally walked and Cruz lined a pitch to left for his AL-leading 75th RBI.
“I saw Warren yesterday and knew how he pitched me last night,” said Gamel, hitting .321 after beginning the season at Triple-A Tacoma. “I kind of had a pitch in mind and I got it.”
Tony Zych (4-2) pitched a perfect 10th, throwing called third strikes past Clint Frazier and Judge.
New York, who won the first two games of the four-game series, head into Sunday 0-8-2 in series since sweeping Baltimore from June 9 to 11. The Yankees went 2 for 8 with runners in scoring position and fell to 9-19 in one-run games.
“Some of them have been us coming back and getting close,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “We had some opportunities to score that were missed today and, to me, that was the difference.”
Tanaka allowed four runs and seven hits in six innings, raising his ERA to 5.37.
Results
(Home team in CAPS)
LA DODGERS 6 Atlanta 2 SEATTLE 6 NY Yankees 5 (10 innings)/sLA ANGELS 7 Boston 3 COLORADO 7 Pittsburgh 3 Washington 4 ARIZONA 3 KANSAS CITY 7 Chicago White Sox 2 Texas 4 TAMPA BAY 3 MINNESOTA 6 Detroit 5 Miami 5 CINCINNATI 4 NY METS 6 Oakland 5 CLEVELAND 2 Toronto 1 (10 innings) Houston 8 BALTIMORE 4 Milwaukee 9 PHILADELPHIA 8 SAN FRANCISCO 5 San Diego 4 (12 innings) CHICAGO CUBS 3 St. Louis 2
