BASEBALL: Cam Schlittler excels as Yankees defeat Mariners

Cam Schlittler pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings as the New York Yankees defeated the host Seattle Mariners 5-3 on Wednesday afternoon.

The Yankees, who won five of six games on their season-opening trip to San Francisco and Seattle, outscored their opponents 24-6.

Paul Goldschmidt hit a three-run homer, and Ben Rice added a solo shot to help New York win the final two games of the series after dropping the opener 2-1 on a walk-off hit by Cal Raleigh.

Schlittler (2-0) allowed just two hits, issued no walks, and struck out seven. David Bednar closed out the game with 1 1/3 innings for his third save of the season.

Schlittler allowed a leadoff double to Brendan Donovan in the first and a one-out single to Luke Raley in the second before retiring the final 16 batters he faced.

The Yankees struck first in the top of the first. Cody Bellinger drew a two-out walk, stole second, and scored on Rice’s double down the right-field line.

The score remained 1-0 until the sixth, when Trent Grisham drew a leadoff walk off Mariners starter George Kirby (1-1). After two outs, Rice walked, setting the stage for Goldschmidt, who crushed a 1-1 fastball an estimated 406 feet to left-center field for a three-run homer.

Seattle got on the board in the eighth. Dominic Canzone singled, stole second, and moved to third on Cole Young’s single. Donovan walked to load the bases before Raleigh lined a two-run single. Bednar struck out Julio Rodriguez with runners at the corners to end the threat.

Rice added a solo homer in the ninth, a 427-foot blast to right-center off Cooper Criswell. The Mariners scored once more on Canzone’s two-out single after Randy Arozarena doubled, but Bednar retired Young to secure the win.

Kirby allowed four runs on five hits over six innings, walked three, and struck out six.

-Field Level Media/Reuters