After brawl, Yankees start series vs. Mariners

NEW YORK -- On Thursday, the New York Yankees experienced their wildest and most frustrating game of the season.

Three players (Austin Romine, Dellin Betances, Tommy Kahnle) were ejected along with manager Joe Girardi and bench coach Rob Thomson during a 10-6 loss at Detroit that featured three incidents of varying severity.

Now the Yankees wait for the fallout in the form of likely suspensions as they return home Friday and open a three-game series with the Seattle Mariners at Yankee Stadium.

"I'm sure there's gonna be suspensions on both sides," Girardi said. "That's upsetting to me, too, because we're fighting for something."

Among those who might get a suspension is Gary Sanchez. The second-year catcher homered again Thursday, giving him eight in his past 10 games and nine in his past 15.

Sanchez also was hit by a Michael Fulmer pitch, and when the Yankees retaliated by throwing a pitch past Miguel Cabrera, a fracas ensued. Sanchez appeared to throw a punch at Cabrera and Nicholas Castellanos.

"At that moment, just instincts take over because you want to defend your teammate," Sanchez said through an interpreter. "That's your family out there. It was just a reaction."

The Yankees return home ahead in the wild-card race, and they face two division leaders, Cleveland and Boston. after this weekend. Despite the ugly loss Thursday, the Yankees have a 7-3 record since Aug. 13.

A big reason for that success is Sanchez, who is batting .320 (25-for-78) with 11 homers and 23 RBI this month.

The Mariners don't possess any concerns about possible suspensions, but they are fretting injuries to two starters.

Former Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano may miss the Friday game with a hamstring injury after getting hurt Wednesday during a 9-6 win at Atlanta.

Cano doubled and then exited in the third inning. He said he felt the tightness running out the box and did not sound optimistic about playing Friday.

"Maybe not good," Cano said. "Maybe not playing. I don't know. No matter how I feel, if the MRI shows something, there's nothing I can do."

The Mariners did not announce the results of any tests on Cano on Thursday. They hope it is merely a day-to-day injury and that their star avoids a trip to the disabled list.

If he does play Friday or at some point in the series, Cano will be looking to remain hot at the plate. He is batting .340 (19-for-56) in his past 14 games, though his last homer was July 22 against New York reliever David Robertson.

Also ailing for the Mariners is outfielder Guillermo Heredia, who was hit in the right arm by a pitch from Atlanta's Jason Motte in the seventh inning Wednesday. Heredia has seen his playing time increase while Jarrod Dyson is on the disabled list, and he is batting .328 (22-for-67) in his past 22 games.

"Heredia has been hit on that forearm a couple of times in the last week or so," Seattle manager Scott Servais said. "He's real tender there. We won't know anything (more about Cano and Heredia) until we get to New York.

"Hopefully, they're going to be OK. Initial signs are they're going to be fine. But will they be available Friday or not? We just don't know yet."

Regardless of the availability of Cano and Heredia, the Mariners will go for their sixth win in eight games. Seattle is 4-2 on its 7,500-mile, 12-game road trip after Kyle Seager hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs Wednesday.

The pitching matchup for the opener will feature a pair of left-handers, New York's CC Sabathia (10-5, 3.99 ERA) and Seattle's Ariel Miranda (8-6, 4.78).

Sabathia returned from a brief stint on the DL with a knee injury Saturday in Boston and pitched well, allowing two runs and four hits in six innings during a 4-3 win. He is 3-2 with a 4.45 ERA in six starts since the All-Star break.

One of those starts occurred July 21 in Seattle, where the 37-year-old allowed one run and four hits in five innings of a 5-1 win. Sabathia improved his career numbers against the Mariners to 14-6 with a 2.62 ERA in 27 starts.

Since joining the Yankees, he is 10-3 with a 2.39 ERA in 16 starts against Seattle. In 12 of those games, Sabathia has held the Mariners to two earned runs or fewer, and he recorded at least seven strikeouts in nine of those starts.

Miranda allowed three runs and five hits in five innings Saturday in a win at Tampa Bay. He was 7-4 with a 4.15 ERA in his first 18 starts but is 1-2 with a 6.51 ERA in his past seven outings.

One of those seven starts occurred against the Yankees on July 22. In a game Seattle eventually won in the 10th on Nelson Cruz's single, Miranda allowed two runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings. It was his first career appearance against New York.