NEW YORK — The Yankees just could not come back from this one.
They got another great start from rookie Luis Gil, but the Bombers’ bats went silent Sunday and the Mariners shut them out 2-0 at Yankee Stadium.
That snapped a five-game winning streak for the Yankees (61-50) and ended their seven-game homestand at 5-2. They won both series, including taking three out of four to the Mariners (59-54).
Before the game, the Yankees announced another player was put on the COVID-19 injury list. Anthony Rizzo, who the Yankees just acquired from the Cubs on July 29, had some symptoms and tested positive for the virus Saturday night.
Rizzo is the third player the Yankees put on the COVID-19 IL this week and is part of their third outbreak this season.
But it was the coronavirus that gave Gil his chance. He was forced into the rotation after Gerrit Cole and Jordan Montgomery tested positive for the virus. So far, he’s made the most of it.
Gil was tremendous again Sunday, throwing five scoreless innings, working around two hits and two walks. He struck out eight.
In two big league starts, the 23-year-old is unscored upon over 11 innings and has struck out 14.
The night before Cole was supposed to start against the Orioles, the Yankees’ ace tested positive for the coronavirus and had to go on the COVID-19 injury list. Gil was scheduled to start at Triple-A Scranton that same day, so the Yankees called him up.
They weren’t quite sure what they would get.
Gil had only pitched on the Triple-A level for eight games before getting called up. He was shelled in his final start with Scranton, allowing six runs in less than two innings. He said that he studied the video of that outing and took some mechanical changes into his big league debut.
“I think [my success against the Orioles] had to do with the execution really,” Gil said. “It was pitch by pitch. That was the focus, executing pitch by pitch.”
“That’s what I’m looking forward to doing [on Sunday] with the support of my teammates. We’re looking for good results tomorrow as well.”
He was tremendous in his major league debut, throwing six shutout innings and striking out six.
Gil was just the second Yankee starter in 70 years to toss at least six scoreless in his big league debut.
So Gil said he wasn’t going to alter too much heading into Sunday’s start.
“You get a lot of confidence from [a good debut],” Gil said. “At the same time, you know that you work as a team and have a group of guys around you supporting you. Everybody is working toward the same cause. It just makes you feel more comfortable and confident.”
The Mariners scored two in the eighth, thanks to a Rougned Odor error at third base, Kyle Seager’s ground-rule double and Cal Raleigh’s single off Lucas Luetge.
