Final score: Mariners 4, Yankees 2

Every fifth day, Mariners fans can breathe a little easier. With Felix Hernandez on the mound, there is no questioning the threat posed by powerhouse rivals, be it the hot-hitting Rangers or star-studded Yankees. The only shadow hanging over a King Felix start is the matter of run support. Will it be a nail-biting, one-run affair, or will the offense show enough spark to carry Felix comfortably?

Tonight’s game landed somewhere in the middle of that spectrum. In fact, with Felix facing boyhood idol Freddy Garcia, the teams mirrored each other for the first few at-bats of the game. Derek Jeter led with a groundout, and Curtis Granderson took a fastball for a home run over the right field fence. Half an inning later, Dustin Ackley grounded out, making way for Michael Saunders to launch another fastball over the right field fence and tie the game.

As the Mariners built a lead, however, tonight’s storyline quickly shifted from an exchange of extra-base hits to an exchange of minor injuries. In the 2nd, Felix caught a piece of his own sinker when a nasty comebacker from Eric Chavez ricocheted off his right forearm. Several innings later, he plunked newly-minted Yankee Ichiro Suzuki, then Jeter, then Alex Rodriguez.

Of the three injured Yankees, none suffered worse than A-Rod, who is expected to sit out for 6-8 weeks with a fractured left pinky. It may sound laughable, but I dare you to watch this video and not feel some sympathy for the guy.

Tom Wilhelmsen notched his 11th save of the season, striking out 2 of 3 batters to close out the 9th and cement the win for Felix and the Mariners. After his unfortunate outing against Tampa Bay last week, Wilhelmsen is inching his way towards another scoreless streak with a single hit and 3 strikeouts in his last 2 appearances.

Tomorrow, the Mariners face the Yankees for the series finale. I don’t say this often, but if you haven’t made it out to the park yet this week, ditch work and catch an afternoon game at Safeco. It will be the last time Ichiro plays in Seattle this season.

Next game: vs. Yankees | July 25 | 12:40pm

I’ve been trying to decide which team I’d rather see the Mariners face: the Texas Rangers, or the New York Yankees. Both are fearsome, both have power in their lineups and to a lesser extent, formidable pitching staffs, but the Yankees do have one factor that makes them more intimidating—we’re playing them this weekend.

Current record: 16-14

Last game: vs. Rays. The Yankees sandwiched a 1-4 loss to Tampa Bay with two 5-3 wins, culminating in last night’s 10-strikeout showing from ace C.C. Sabathia.

Last series against Seattle: September 12 – 14, 2011. The Yankees walked away with two wins, felling Felix on two long shots by Mark Teixeira and Chris Dickerson, and taking just one loss on a 6-strikeout, 3-hit performance by Jason Vargas.

Over the past five years, the Mariners are 12-22 against New York, 5-12 at Yankee Stadium and 7-10 at Safeco Field. For their part, the Yankees have not completed a sweep against the Mariners since May 2008, when they took six games in two homestands.

Toughest player: All of them. Okay, perhaps not every player, but it feels that way sometimes. So take your pick: will it be Nick Swisher’s 24 RBIs? Robinson Cano’s 8-game hitting streak (including two base hits and a 2-run homer last night)? Derek Jeter’s 50 hits in only 30 games and 141 PA?

Because all of the above candidates are so well qualified, here’s a question I actually want an answer to: which Mariner will give the Yankees the most grief during this series?

Weakest link: Jayson Nix. I know it’s not fair to pick on the new kid, who’s only seen 3 games and 6 PA in 2012, but I’m also not sure who else qualifies as the worst the team has to offer. Following 8 games in Triple-A, where he batted .233/.314/.367, Nix made his first major league start of the year on May 2. He spent the latter part of the 2011 season in Toronto’s farm system, and recorded his last hit against an MLB team on June 16, 2011.

Expected result: With consecutive series wins under their belt, the Mariners are starting to look a little more like a team and a little less like a hodgepodge of players who are too young, too old, and too unlucky. I’m not confident that they can sweep the Yankees in Yankee territory—though let’s face it, I’m never confident enough to predict a sweep by Seattle—but I think the M’s will stand their ground, especially when backed by King Felix.

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