Lopez and Hernandez Lead Mariners to 4-1 Victory Over Yankees

What an incredible game Saturday night at Safeco Field. The Mariners broke their five-game losing streak, coming out on top of the Yankees 4-1. After not seen much action out of the Mariners for most of the night, it looked like Vazquez and the Yankees had it. It may have been a late win, but it was well worth it for Felix Hernandez, completing his second victory against New York in the last eleven days. Hernandez did give up a homer to Swisher in the third, but managed to keep the Yankees at bay for the rest of the game. Preserving the close score wasn’t always easy for Hernandez throughout the night, allowing several runners in the first, fourth, and eighth innings, but somehow got out clean. Hernandez also had to fight to maintain once the Mariners took the lead. Curtis Granderson caught a piece in the ninth with a double, but Hernandez went on to strike out three more Yankees, closing out the victory.

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Before Hernandez’s impressive fight to keep the lead in the ninth, New York looked as if they were going to pick up yet another win over Seattle, with Javier Vazquez carrying a no-hitter all the way to the sixth inning. Ichiro finally blasted a comebacker in the seventh which deflected off Vazquez’s glove, grabbing Seattle their first single of the night. The Yankee’s Joba Chamberlain stepped in for Vazquez in the eighth, though, and began systematically ruining Vazquez’s hitless effort - giving up the Yankees’ lead. Chamberlain allowed singles from Wilson and Figgins and then walked Branyan to load the bases. Second baseman Jose Lopez brought them home, coming through with a grand slam, his second of the season, to left field – successfully putting the Mariners in the lead with the only runs of the night from Seattle. Justin Smoak’s first game with the Mariners was somewhat of a dud, striking out three times during his debut. No one seemed to notice the shortfall, considering Hernandez’s and Lopez’s exceptional night. The Yankees, however, did notice the crumbling of their seven-game winning streak.

By: Shalan Moore
MLBCenter.com Staff Writer

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