Seattle @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 30, 2010 ) Seattle 7, NY Yankees 0

Holding a pair of aces, the Seattle Mariners have gone all-in for the first two games of their series with the defending world champions.

The results have been spectacular thus far.

After rolling to back-to-back one-sided victories, Seattle will go for the unthinkable on Thursday – a three-game sweep of the defending world champions at Yankee Stadium.

After Cliff Lee shackled the Yankees by going the distance in the series opener, Felix Hernandez was overpowering with an 11-strikeout, two-hit shutout a night later.

It marked the first time in 10 years that an opposing team has recorded consecutive complete-game victories against the Yankees, who have resembled the feeble offensive club that the Mariners have been for almost the entire season.

What can New York do to avert a sweep against a team that entered the series as one of the worst road clubs in the majors?

Simple. Follow Seattle's strategy and go all-in with its own ace.

The Yankees send CC Sabathia to the mound today, needing the left-hander to stop a slide that has seen their lead in the American League East reduced to one game over the Boston Red Sox and two over the Tampa Bay Rays.

The burly Sabathia (9-3) certainly appears up to the task as he takes aim at his sixth consecutive victory. After an ugly month of May in which he went 1-2 with three no-decisions, Sabathia rebounded with a sparkling 5-0 record in June.

Sabathia has been brilliant in his last two outings, going eight innings in each and allowing a combined one runs and eight hits.

Although he was rocked by the Mariners 364 days ago at Yankee Stadium, Sabathia dominated the Mariners twice in Seattle down the stretch last year, giving up a run in each outing and allowing a total of seven hits.

Unlike the Mariners, the Yankees don’t require Sabathia to go the distance. Not when he can hand the ball off to closer extraordinaire Mariano Rivera, who has not allowed a run and has surrendered just four hits in his last 14 appearances.

With Ryan Rowland-Smith (1-7) opposing Sabathia, Seattle’s well-rested bullpen should remain on alert today.

The left-hander earned his only victory with six scoreless innings of three-hit ball against the Cincinnati Reds on June 20. Demoted to the bullpen in May, Rowland-Smith has not pitched more than six innings since April 12.

Although the Mariners still rank last in the American League in runs scored, last weekend’s re-acquisition of slugger Russell Branyan has seemed to energize the offense.

Branyan slammed a two-run homer on Wednesday night – one of four hit by the Mariners. Branyan had 31 homes for Seattle a year ago.

The Yankees have done little offensively in the series. First baseman Mark Teixeira collected one of the two hits Wednesday, extending his hitting streak to 11 games (12-for-44).