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Yanks hope to break out the brooms in Seattle

Jun 12, 2014 - 2:38 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - Chase Whitley will look to build off the first victory of his career on Thursday night when the New York Yankees aim for a three-game sweep of the hosting Seattle Mariners.

Whitley, who turns 25 on Saturday, finally secured his first victory on Friday against Kansas City in what was his fifth career start. He gave up two runs on five hits over seven innings and did not walk a batter for a third start in a row.

It also marked the first time that Whitley pitched past five innings and he is 1-0 on the year with a 2.42 earned run average.

"I felt good about him ever since I saw him pitch the first game," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said of Whitley. "He throws strikes, he locates, he doesn't beat himself. He fields his position (and) and does a lot of things right."

The right-hander will face the Mariners for the first time in his fifth career road start as the Yankees look to record their first sweep in this series since a three-game set from May 23-25, 2008 in the Bronx.

New York has not recorded a sweep in Seattle since a four-game set from Aug. 5-8, 1999.

Whitley will also be following up yet another gem from fellow rookie Masahiro Tanaka, who become baseball's second 10-game winner with a 4-2 victory over the Mariners on Wednesday.

Tanaka fanned 11 while posting his second complete game. It was nearly a shutout, but the hurler was taken deep by former Yankee Robinson Cano for a two-run homer in the ninth inning.

Tanaka quickly recovered, striking out Kyle Seager and Logan Morrison in succession.

"He was very good again tonight," Girardi said of Tanaka. "I thought his stuff was great. Another complete game for him, another complete-game win for him. He just continues to go out and do his job, that's all he's doing."

Mark Teixeira launched a three-run homer, while Jacoby Ellsbury went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored for the Yankees, who have won two straight and four of their last six games.

Derek Jeter stole a pair of bases to give him 351 in his career. The Yankees shortstop became just the third player in MLB history to record at least 3,000 hits, 350 steals and 250 home runs, joining Rickey Henderson and Craig Biggio.

Seattle had won three straight and eight of nine heading into this series, but failed to pull even in the set after Chris Young yielded four runs over five frames in taking the loss.

"I made a mistake to Teixeira and pulled a fastball down and in into his wheelhouse and he hit it out," Young said. "It's a night where I needed to keep us close and give us a chance to win late and I didn't do it."

The Mariners try to get on track behind their own rookie in left-hander Roenis Elias, who is 5-4 with a 3.64 ERA in 13 starts and that includes a win over the Yankees on May 1.

Elias hurled seven innings of two-run ball in that outing, striking out 10 batters. Ellsbury, Jeter and Brian Roberts all fanned twice against him.

The 25-year-old Elias won his second straight start last time out as he followed a three-hit shutout of Detroit with a 7-4 triumph over Tampa Bay on Saturday. He did yield four runs on five hits and two walks, giving up two homers and fanning five.