None of that mattered for the first 5 innings. Both starters were cruising, the scoreboard stayed blank, and it looked like the kind of low-scoring grind where 1 mistake decides everything. That mistake, when it finally came, went Seattle's way first.
Arozarena took Weathers deep for a 351-foot solo shot in the 6th, his 50th RBI of the season, and for a while it was the only run anybody could find. New York's answer came fast once it arrived — Ryan McMahon ripped a two-run single to score Jazz Chisholm Jr. and García, and Trent Grisham followed with a two-run single of his own to bring home McMahon and Jones. 4 runs, 1 inning, ballgame. Tim Hill got the win, David Bednar closed it, and Seattle never found another answer.
This is starting to look like a lost August for Seattle. The Mariners have lost 4 straight, they've been outscored badly over their last week-plus, and they're staring at real playoff math after entering the year as one of the AL's preseason contenders. Losing Raley for the season and getting only spot duty from Naylor hasn't helped a lineup that already needed more thump after the trade deadline came and went without a real bat added.
The Yankees, for their part, are managing without the best player in the sport and still finding ways to win series. Ben Rice has kept the middle of the order dangerous, and the bullpen — even with Kervin Castro's recent trip to the IL — got exactly what it needed from Hill and Bednar on Tuesday. New York doesn't need Judge back at full strength to keep pace in the AL East. It just needs more nights like this one.