New York Yankees at Seattle Mariners: Can the Mariners Contain Aaron Judge?

Memorial Day is upon us, the unofficial start of summer. The Seattle Mariners (28-25) and New York Yankees (32-23) will conclude a busy day on the MLB schedule by opening a three-game set at T-Mobile Park.

Seattle is a -150 favorite to win the series, with New York priced at +120. Let’s take a closer look at some key storylines heading into the New York Yankees at Seattle Mariners series.

Judge Continues to Mash

Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge is off to another torrid start. Despite missing over a week with a hip injury, the reigning American League Most Valuable Player is batting .291 with 15 home runs and 35 RBI. Only four players across baseball — Pete Alonso, Max Muncy, Jorge Soler, and Matt Olson — have hit more homers, while Judge’s 1.031 OPS ranks second behind Yandy Diaz (1.041).

Judge went 2-for-4 with a first-inning homer off Yu Darvish in Sunday’s 10-7 victory over San Diego. The Yankees improved to 32-23, 7.0 games behind Tampa Bay. At 39-16, the Rays currently have the most wins in MLB season.

Judge will certainly be challenged by Seattle’s staff, which has allowed the fewest homers in baseball with 41. The Mariners rank third in ERA (3.51) and 11th in strikeouts (479).

Rizzo Banged Up

Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo left Sunday’s game early for precautionary reasons with neck soreness. Rizzo appeared to get injured while applying a tag on San Diego’s Fernando Tatis Jr. during a pickoff play. After remaining on the infield for several minutes, Rizzo walked off under his own power.

Rizzo’s status for Monday’s New York Yankees at Seattle Mariners series opener is unclear. He ranks 10th in baseball with a .304 average to go with 11 home runs and 32 RBI.

Kelenic’s Arrived

Jarred Kelenic is proving doubters wrong. Kelenic, 23, the prized piece in the trade that sent Edwin Diaz and Robinson Cano to the New York Mets in 2018, is coming into his own after bouncing back and forth from the minor leagues. Kelenic is hitting .278 with 10 homers and 26 RBI in 51 games this season while posting a strong .861 OPS.

The former top-10 prospect struggled mightily each of the past two seasons, causing many to wonder whether he’d ever live up to the immense hype. Kelenic batted just .141 in 2022 and struck out 61 times in 163 at-bats. He made the Mariners’ postseason roster but produced just two hits in 17 plate appearances as Seattle was eliminated by Houston.

Fortunately for the Mariners, the time is — finally — now for Kelenic.

Game 1

The 24-year-old Miller has been outstanding since being promoted from Double-A Arkansas earlier this month. Over his first five starts, Miller — Seattle’s No. 2 prospect — is 3-1 with a 1.15 ERA. Miller and Astros pitcher Hunter Brown are now both +800 to win AL Rookie of the Year, the second-best odds on the board behind Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida (+125).

German (2-3, 3.75 ERA) is coming off a 10-day suspension for a sticky substance.

Seattle is a -1.5 (+150) favorite on the run line and -130 to win outright, with New York priced at +1.5 (-170) and +120. The over-under for the New York Yankees at Seattle Mariners is Over 8 (-115) and Under 8 (-105).

Game 2

Cortes has struggled to replicate his breakout season, pitching to a 5.30 ERA over 54.1 innings. The 28-year-old southpaw has already allowed 10 home runs, tied for sixth-most in the majors.

Game 3

Kirby is coming off his worst start of the season, an 11-6 loss to Pittsburgh on May 26 in which he allowed seven runs and four homers over 4.2 innings.

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