Yankees' offense goes cold as Mariners halt five-game winning streak

The surging Yankees saw their momentum halted on Sunday.

It started to ebb with the news that first baseman Anthony Rizzo had tested positive and been put on the COVID-19 injured list, continued to plummet during nine anemic offensive innings against the Mariners and bottomed out with concerns that shortstop Gleyber Torres could be laid low with a thumb injury.

The return of defending MLB home run champion Luke Voit from his third stint on the injured list became part of the unproductive tableau as his 0-for-4 performance stood out in a 2-0 loss to Seattle before 35,437 at the Stadium that ended the Yankees' winning streak at five games.

The Yankees managed only six hits — three by Torres — and were 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position. They stranded 11 runners, 10 of them in the first six innings.

Voit, who went to the IL with left knee inflammation July 16, stranded five runners by making the final out in the third and fifth innings. He struck out with the bases loaded in the third, unable to check his swing on Yusei Kikuchi's 2-and-2 slider in the dirt, and popped out with runners at first and second in the fifth.

He also picked up a throwing error he didn't deserve in the second when he grabbed a smash in the hole, made a perfect throw from his knees to second and watched the ball sail into leftfield when neither Torres nor Rougned Odor covered the base. That helped the Mariners load the bases with one out, but Luis Gil pitched out of the jam.

"Obviously, the results weren’t there today," Voit said. "I came [up] in two big spots to drive in runs and didn’t do it. But overall, I am glad to be back with the guys. And excited for this playoff push. . . . I was hitting balls really good [on a rehab assignment], hitting balls like I did last year. . . . Now it’s getting back in the game and get the job done the next time my name is called."

The Yankees fell 6 ½ games back of the AL East-leading Rays. They trail Oakland and Boston, which are in a virtual tie for the wild-card lead, by 2 1/2 games and are a half-game ahead of Toronto.

Seattle scored two unearned runs in the eighth off Lucas Luetge after third baseman Odor couldn’t handle Abraham Toro’s leadoff grounder. Luetge walked Mitch Haniger and allowed a run-scoring ground-rule double by Kyle Seager that barely eluded rightfielder Aaron Judge. Luetge then struck out Ty France and Jarred Kelenic but allowed an RBI single by Cal Raleigh, with leftfielder Joey Gallo keeping it at 2-0 by throwing out Seager at the plate on the play. Seager originally was called safe, but a replay review showed that Kyle Higashioka had tagged him on the hand before he touched the plate.

That followed five scoreless innings by Gil and scoreless innings of relief by Wandy Peralta and St. Anthony's product Stephen Ridings, who struck out the side in the seventh. Gil, who was returned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after the game, hasn't allowed a run in 11 innings and has struck out 14 in two starts after being called up when Gerrit Cole and Jordan Montgomery went on the COVID-19 IL last week.

"We had traffic," manager Aaron Boone said. "Their bullpen held us down. We’d had a couple chances there, but they made the pitches to beat us."

Rizzo’s absence probably makes Voit’s return to an awkward situation slightly easier. When the Yankees made the trade for Rizzo with the Cubs, it meant a reduced role and fewer at-bats for Voit. Moreover, the Yankees engaged in talks to trade Voit but ultimately did not. How he will fit in when Rizzo returns hasn’t been determined. Among other things, it could mean Giancarlo Stanton plays more games in the field instead of DH or Judge plays more games in centerfield than in rightfield.

"I guess it was a little frustrating, but I guess the right opportunity came up for the front office to do something and I haven’t played," Voit said. "I’ve played [30] this year. So it’s frustrating: I want to play and it’s going to be difficult when he comes back. But whenever I was in the minor leagues, they told me I was playing for 29 other teams, too.

"I’m just glad to be back and healthy and do whatever I can to help this team win, whether it’s on the bench or playing first. It’s a weird situation for sure."

Voit started the season on the IL after left knee surgery, went back on the IL with an oblique strain and then suffered the recent knee issue. In 30 games, he has hit .232 with three home runs and 11 RBIs.

As for Torres, he will go for an MRI after hurting his thumb on a headfirst slide during a successful steal of second in the fourth. Torres, who is batting .393 in his last seven games, took three called strikes in the eighth before giving way to defensive replacement Tyler Wade in the ninth.

Boone said that as the game wore on, Torres felt "instability" in the thumb while hitting and "we’re a little concerned about him right now."

Notes & quotes: Luis Severino, coming back from Tommy John surgery, pitched four no-hit innings with five strikeouts on Sunday for Double-A Somerset. He threw 48 pitches. Boone said he likely will make another minor league start before the club considers bringing him back to the rotation . . . Jameson Taillon will pitch Monday against the Royals and Nestor Cortes will start Tuesday, but the Yankees don’t have a starter named for the series finale on Wednesday.

By Roger Rubin

roger.rubin@newsday.com@rogrubin

Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.