KING OF SWING
Tex, Yankees slam Felix as Pineda wins in Seattle return
Mark Teixeira belts fifth-inning grand slam as Bombers give royal flush to King Felix Hernandez (inset), scoring seven runs off Mariners ace as Michael Pineda & Yanks open series in Seattle with 7-2 victory Monday night.
SEATTLE − What’s wrong with Robinson Cano? That was the obvious question to ask here on Monday, given the ex-Yankee’s ugly numbers, and while nobody seemed to have a particularly insightful answer, Lloyd McClendon surely had the most honest one.
“I’ve learned in this game that sometimes you’ve just gotta say I don’t know,’’ the Mariners’ manager said. “Is he going to hit? Yeah, he’s going to hit. The book tells you that by the end of the year his numbers are going to be where he’s supposed to be. He just hasn’t hit to this point.’’ McClendon paused there and smiled. “But if I had to bet I’d say he’ll be OK.’’ The Mariners’ season likely depends on it. To this point the M’s, a trendy pick to not only win the AL West but reach the World Series, have been as disappointing as Cano — three games under .500 after Monday night’s 7-2 loss to the Yankees.
And while McClendon projected confidence regarding his star second baseman during his press session, his impatience was reflected in a new-look lineup that, among other things, had Cano hitting second rather than his customary No. 3 spot.
“I’m trying to shake things up a little bit,’’ McClendon said before the game.
As it turned out, the Yankees did the shaking up, sending Felix Hernandez and his 1.91 ERA to his earliest shower of the season, after 4.2 innings, while Michael Pineda dominated the Mariners over six shutout innings before running out of gas in the seventh.
It was a triumphant return to this city for Pineda, who hadn’t pitched here since being traded for Jesus Montero, as he delivered a badly needed victory after the Yankees’ miserable weekend in Oakland.
For the Mariners, meanwhile, it was more of the same. Cano isn’t the only problem for an offense whose 188 runs scored ranks next-to-last in the American League, but he is their biggest one, to be sure.
By the end of this night, in fact, Cano’s poor season looked significantly uglier. He went 0-for-4 while striking out twice, once chasing a Pineda changeup at the ankle, then a Dellin Betances fastball up in his eyes.
There were even a few boos here for Cano, who was hailed as a savior last season after signing a 10-year, $240 million contract to leave the Yankees and make the Mariners relevant.
So it’s only natural the blame for the M’s disappointing season falls hardest on Cano. He’s hitting .246 with two home runs and 16 RBI, not to mention a .290 on-base percentage and a .627 OPS.
What is especially shocking is that if Cano was going to struggle, you figured it would be in dealing with the initial pressure of living up to the contract. Instead he had a terrific first season here — though his 14 home runs were a dropoff — and most everyone expected him to benefit from having Cruz hitting behind him this year.
He is only 32, so it’s not as if age should be a factor yet. After all, M’s hitting coach Howard Johnson said flatly on Monday, “The guy’s the best I’ve ever seen as a pure hitter.’’ So then what’s wrong with Cano? HoJo, the former Mets’ hitting coach, didn’t have anything very definitive to offer as an answer. He did hint that perhaps Cano, after hitting in bad luck early in the season, became frustrated with his numbers and started trying to hit for power rather than using the entire field as he did last year.
“When you get off to a slow start it’s easy to press, even out here in Seattle,’’ HoJo said. “Robby’s a proud guy.’’
In the dugout before the game, Cano himself shrugged and offered his trademark smile to the question of what’s wrong with him. He too had little to offer that explained his lousy numbers.
“There’s nothing that I can blame for having a bad start to the season,’’ he said. “It doesn’t feel good but there are a lot of games left. I’m just going to keep working hard, taking it game by game.’’
An AL scout who has seen a lot of the Mariners said he has seen Cano chase bad pitches more than last year, a sign of frustration, “but I hear people saying his bat has slowed and I laugh. It’s not like he’s getting beat inside. He’s just been off a little.’’
Not that the Yankees are thriving without him, but Cano laughed at questions about whether he would have been better off staying in New York, saying “it’s amazing’’ how well he is treated here by the team and the fans. By any measure, it will be years before we know just how smart or dumb it was for the Yankees to let their best player leave. Cano is bound to start hitting again. But when?