SEATTLE — With Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada nursing bruised body parts, the Yankees were without considerable ammunition last night against the Mariners.
However, they had CC Sabathia on the mound and Hideki Matsui in Rodriguez’s cleanup spot and it was enough to put an 11-1 beatdown on the hosts in front of 33,585 at Safeco Field.
The Yankees third straight victory and 10th in 11 games coupled with the Red Sox’s loss hiked the Yankees’ AL East lead to 6½ games, which is tied for the season high.
The Yankees, who have the best record (72-43) in the majors, couldn’t have requested a better way to open a 10-game, three-city, two-coast road trip that ends in Boston.
“You fly out here, cross-country and start a 10-game road trip, you want to get off to a good start,” Sabathia said.
Prior to the game, Joe Girardi was asked about building off the 6-1 homestand that included a four-game sweep of the Red Sox. He pointed out that momentum was “dictated by starting pitching.”
That meant momentum was on the Yankees’ side since Sabathia toyed with the Mariners. Sabathia (13-7) won for the third straight start and is 5-1 in his last six outings. In eight innings, he allowed a run and three hits and fanned a season-high 10.
“When I have fastball command, it makes everything better,” Sabathia said.
The comfortable victory allowed Girardi to give Mariano Rivera, who wasn’t available Wednesday due to a “cranky” right arm, another day of rest.
Ian Snell (0-1), whom the Yankees had mild interest in at the trading deadline when he was pitching in the Pirates’ system, took the loss.
Rodriguez, who was hit in the left elbow Wednesday, wasn’t sure if he will be able to play tonight.
“I hope so,” Girardi said when asked if he expected Rodriguez to return tonight. “I would say it’s 50-50 right now.”
Rodriguez wasn’t missed last night when Matsui went 4-for-5, hit two homers and drove in five runs.
“The last month or so I have been feeling good,” Matsui said. “Is it the best? That’s hard for me to say but it might be.”
Jeter, who left Wednesday’s game with a bruised right foot, went 2-for-4 with a solo homer. With the Yankees well ahead in the eighth, Jeter exited.
Matsui hit a two-run homer in the third and another in the eighth. The first one, off Snell, went deep into the right field seats. The second one, off lefty Garrett Olson, glanced off Ichiro Suzuki’s glove that was above the fence thanks to a big leap. Matsui has 19 homers and 58 RBIs.
Matsui’s third hit was an RBI single in the seventh of lefty reliever Garrett Olson and stretched the Yankees’ lead to 7-1. Melky Cabrera’s grounder to short forced Nick Swisher at second, but scored Mark Teixeira (2-for-4) and Jerry Hairston (2-for-5; two RBIs) singled in a run for a 9-1 cushion.
Teixeira’s double scored Jeter from first in the fourth for a 6-1 bulge.
“It’s going good so far, we learned a lesson from last year,” Matsui said. “We have been able to put it behind us.”
Watching Sabathia work it’s not hard to envision the Yankees avoiding a long losing streak the remainder of the season.
“He has been really, really good the last couple of games,” Girardi said of his ace. “It gets you excited every time he takes the mound.”
