Yankees blank Mariners 5-0 to split four-game series

NEW YORK — Luis Gil allowed one hit in 6 1/3 innings, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge homered early off Luis Castillo and the New York Yankees beat the Seattle Mariners 5-0 on Thursday to split their four-game series.

Gil (6-1) retired his first nine batters before giving up an infield single to J.P. Crawford in the fourth. The right-hander struck out eight and walked three after whiffing 14 to set a Yankees rookie record Saturday against the White Sox.

“It’s been a treat to watch, that’s for sure,” Judge said.

After Crawford’s hit, Gil retired the next six batters before issuing two walks in the sixth. Following a free pass to Dylan Moore, Gil received a visit from pitching coach Matt Blake and ended the inning by fanning Luke Raley on a 97 mph fastball.

In the seventh, Gil retired Mitch Garver on a flyball to the warning track and then was pulled. The pitcher exited to a nice hand from the crowd and tipped his cap as he walked to the dugout.

Gil won his fifth straight start and sixth consecutive decision. He has allowed two runs over 30 2/3 innings in his last five starts.

Gil joined Steve Kline (1972) and CC Sabathia (2010) as the only starters in Yankees history to pitch at least six innings and allow one run or fewer in five straight starts.

“I think a combination of things,” Gil said through a translator, explaining his success. “Being focused on what I need to do out there and going out and executing a plan of attack. You look around and look at this team and the support they’ve given me all year. So a combination of many different things have led me to this.”

Gil’s latest impressive outing came after manager Aaron Boone said before the game there will be no innings limit on the rookie this year after he missed last season recovering from Tommy John surgery.

“I do look at him as a rookie, because he hadn’t had that much time with us kind of rehabbing and stuff in Tampa,” Boone said. “So he wasn’t around us a lot last year. Obviously had some valuable time when he was up before for a couple of outings, had a little success, got a taste of it, but I still consider him a rookie. But what’s been impressive is how much we’ve seen him mature over the last 18 months — but also even in the last weeks.”

Gil’s outing gave the Yankees a team-record 11 straight starts of at least five innings with no more than two runs allowed.

Clay Holmes entered with the bases loaded in the eighth and got four outs for his 14th save, his first appearance since a rare flop in the series opener Monday night when he gave up four runs in the ninth inning of a 5-4 loss.

Stanton put the Yankees ahead in the second by hitting a 445-foot drive off the batter’s eye above Monument Park in center field. It was his sixth homer in 14 games.

Judge made it 2-0 in the third with a drive into the Yankees’ bullpen in right-center for his 15th homer. It was his ninth in 17 games and it extended his on-base streak to 20 games.

Including the postseason, the Yankees are 36-4 when Judge and Stanton homer in the same game.

Juan Soto added an RBI single in the seventh before Alex Verdugo and Anthony Rizzo hit sacrifice flies.

Castillo (4-6) allowed two runs and seven hits in five innings. The right-hander struck out three and walked three.

The Mariners dropped to 3-4 on a 10-game trip and were blanked for the second time this season.

“We didn’t get anything going,” manager Scott Servais said. “Credit to their starter — he’s been really good. We knew coming into the game today it was going to be a tough battle.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mariners: RHP Mike Baumann was activated after being acquired from Baltimore on Wednesday and made his Seattle debut in the seventh. RHP Cody Bolton was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma to make room for Baumann.

Yankees: RHP Gerrit Cole (right elbow nerve inflammation and edema) will face hitters again this weekend at the team’s minor league complex in Florida. Cole threw 20 pitches and faced hitters Tuesday for the first time since getting hurt in spring training. … C Jose Trevino was lifted for a pinch hitter in the eighth because he was feeling ill.

UP NEXT

Mariners: RHP George Kirby (4-4, 3.99 ERA) opposes LHP Mackenzie Gore (2-4, 3.30) in the opener of a three-game series Friday at Washington.

————

YANKEES 5, MARINERS 0

GIDP—Soto, Torres.

DP—Seattle 2 (Crawford, France; Crawford, Moore, France).

Inherited runners-scored—Speier 1-1, Baumann 1-1, Burdi 1-0, Holmes 3-0. HBP—Castillo (Rizzo), González (France). WP—Baumann(2). PB—Trevino (3).

Umpires—Home, Alex MacKay; First, Lance Barksdale; Second, D.J. Reyburn; Third, Nic Lentz.

T—2:43. A—43,121 (47,309).