Yanks Score 4, Top Mariners
- Paul Semendinger
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
by Paul Semendinger
August 12, 2026
***
The Yankees won the first game of their three-game series against the Seattle Mariners 4-1 last night at Yankee Stadium.
The Yankees scored all of their runs in the bottom of the 7th... all without a home run. The Yankees actually put together a rally consisting of base hits, walks, a stolen base, and a bundle of runs.
Starting pitcher Ryan Weathers went 5.2 innings allowing only two hits - one being a solo homer by Randy Arozarena. The bullpen held firm and David Bednar earned the save.
A Quick Note - This is a busy time of year for many of the SSTN writing team. As such, I'll be doing a bunch of game recaps over the next few days. Unfortunately, it's also a busy time for me. I am deep into the writing process for West Point at Gettysburg Vol. 2 and need to get that work moving forward. It takes a long time to review sources and write biographies of solders who lived and fought more than 160 years ago.
At the same time, I am spending a lot of time being Grandpa. The Yankees might be fun, but my grandchildren are more fun. The Yankees are certainly not cute, but my grandchildren are. When the decision between my grandchildren and the Yankees comes up, the Yankees lose every time. I will only be able to see some games by reading the play-by-play on-line after the game is long over. As such, please forgive any short game summaries from me.
Quick Stats:
Winning Pitcher - Tim Hill
Save : David Bednar
There were Zero Yankee home runs.
The Yankees went 4-10 with runners in scoring position
Other Stats:
He is a young kid, and a work in progress, but Spencer Jones is batting just .208.
In 46 games, Spencer Jones has struck out 48 times.
Of the players in the Yankees' lineup last night, the one who had the highest batting average in 2026 was... George Lombard, Jr. who is batting .286.
Before fans get too giddy about GLJ, remember, he never even hit .270 at any level across his minor league career.
My Big Take Away:
If the Yankees are going to reach the playoffs, and if they are going to win a World Series, they will win based upon the fact that their starting and relief pitching have been exceptional. Right now, the pitchers are carrying this team because the offense is mostly absent.
Just look at the most recent games:
August 11 - The Yankees allowed one run
August 9 - The Yankees allowed two runs
August 8 - The Yankees allowed four runs
August 7 - The Yankees allowed two runs
August 5 - The Yankees allowed three runs
August 4 - The Yankees allowed one run
Pitching that well will lead to a host of wins.
The Yankees in 2026 will go as far as their pitching carries them.
In Other News:
It seems that the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton RailRiders will get getting a new name for 2027. They won't announce the name, though, until November. I'm not all that excited about this. In fact, I couldn't care less. RailRiders wasn't a great name, and I am sure that the new name won't be all that great either, but we'll see.
I liked it better when the minor league teams were mostly named after the big league clubs with whom they were affiliated.
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Yankees has a nice ring to it.
***
The series continues tonight at 7:00 p.m.. Will Warren will start for the Yankees.
something meaningful not discussed here is also not getting the amount of attention it probably deserves in general. people talk about when the pitchers would or will come back. they talk about how that will impact the rotation and the bullpen. they talk about when injured hitters will return and everything related to that. of course they talk about Lombard, and also Volpe, Jones, JDom and others
there is not much discussion of Caballero playing very very little, but that is not the story that I think is getting far too little attention
Jazz is supposed to be a player at another level. I think it would be too much to call him a superstar. I have no doubt aft…
It’s long been said that the name of the game is “Pitching”. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Really about GLJ’s average? He has palyed in 6 whole games! He is off to a good start, but 6 games barely qualifies as a “minuscule” sample size.
Surprised you did not note that he has already been moved up to the 6 spot. The more they stay the same indeed.
Hopefully that was not a shot at Jones. His strike out rate has dropped significantly as he gets more at bats. He is making meaningful contributions to the offense such as his showing against Sale. Even his walk last night in the big inning helped get the…
is it really true?
can a pro baseball team continue to win game after game behind exceptional pitching and very solid defense?
can this Yankee stay afloat despite having the sluggers stranded on the shore?
will the return of Rodon allow Schlittler to get some R&R?
can the Yankees ease the burden on the best arms in an uneven bullpen by bringing in displaced starters as multi-inning relievers?
what about Gil?