Yankees Fall to M's Again, 3-2

     It was another beautiful afternoon in the Bronx, as the Mariners and Yankees faced off in game two of their three-game set. This matchup was made a little extra special by the fact that we were seeing two former Cy Young Award winners face off against one another, in Felix Hernandez and C.C. Sabathia.  Once again, the Yankees bats remained silent, again leaving over a dozen runners on base in route to their fourth consecutive loss.  Carlos Beltran was the only Yankee to produce, with four hits, including two doubles, two RBI and a solo home run.
    Sabathia looked strong through his first four innings of work. He was constantly leaving guys off-balance, guessing and putting the ball in the exact location where he wanted it. It wasn't until the fifth inning, which is shaping up to be a bad inning nightly for the pinstriper's when the big lefty gave up a bomb to centerfielder Leonys Martin, and a pair of RBI shots to Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz. The four Yankee pitchers to follow C.C., Barbado, Shreve, Betances and Miller, were as good as it gets following the rough fifth, and outing capitulated by both Betances and Miller striking out the side in the eighth and ninth innings. The Yankees even attempted to make some noise of a comeback in the ninth, only to leave two more runners on base to end the game. This is starting to be a trend that does not bode well for a successful 2016 campaign.
     The Bronx Bombers are not lacking in the baserunner department, as they collected 10 hits and drew six walks. It's the ability to hit when there are runners on base and in scoring position. Carlos Beltran's RBI double in the third inning could not even fall under the category of a hit with a runner in scoring position, as Teixeira was on first base when he came around to score.
     It seems as though there needs to be a major wake up call issued in the Yankees clubhouse. Let's hope it comes before the last of the three-game set tomorrow, starting at 1:05 PM.