First pitch: Thursday, 10:10 p.m. ET
Line: New York –115, Seattle +105, Total: 8.5

The Yankees will be hoping to start turning things back around with a win over the Mariners on Thursday.

New York is only three games over .500 right now, which is pretty miserable considering where the team was just a few months ago. The Yankees are now fighting for a Wild Card spot in the postseason, and they have definitely gone out of their way to make themselves better for the rest of the year. New York went out and traded for RHP David Robertson, 3B Todd Frazier, and RHP Tommy Kahnle the other day. This deal should solidify the Yankees’ bullpen, and Frazier adds another hitter with power to the lineup. The Mariners, meanwhile, are also gunning for one of those spots in the playoffs. Seattle has won six of its past seven games, and the team is getting hot at the right time. The starters in this Thursday night matchup are set to be RHP Luis Severino (5-4, 3.40 ERA, 130 K) for New York and RHP Felix Hernandez (5-3, 4.20 ERA, 51 K) for Seattle. The Yankees have done well when playing in Seattle in recent years, as they are 5-1 when playing on the road in this series over the past three years. New York is also 18-4 against the money line after a five-game span where the bullpen had an ERA of 2.00 or better this season. Seattle, meanwhile, is 16-7 against the money line as a home underdog of +100 or higher over the past two seasons.

The Yankees really need a win on Thursday, and Luis Severino is a good guy to have on the mound in that situation. The righty was excellent his last time out, allowing only one run in seven innings of work against the Red Sox on Jul. 15. He struck out six batters in that game, and it’d be big if he can come through with a similar performance in this one. He should be able to do just that, as Severino has been better on the road than at home this season. He has a 3.02 ERA when pitching away from Yankee Stadium, and he will be happy to be in Seattle. Offensively, the Yankees can use a big performance from OF Aaron Judge (.312 BA, 30 HR, 67 RBI) in this one. Judge has struggled since the All-Star break, but it’s only a matter of time before he gets himself going again. This could be the game he does it, as Hernandez is far from being the pitcher he once was. New York can also use a good performance from new 3B Todd Frazier, who is 4-for-8 with two homers and four RBI against Hernandez in his career.

The Mariners are on a roll right now and it’ll be up to Felix Hernandez to keep it going for them. Hernandez has had a rough year, as he has dealt with some injuries and struggled overall. He has, however, been sharp in his past two outings. King Felix pitched 11 innings over those two contests and allowed only one earned run. He struck out 13 batters in those games, and he’ll be hoping to get it going against the Yankees on Thursday. As for the offense, 2B Robinson Cano (.266 BA, 18 HR, 64 RBI) is going to do his best to snap out his slump here. He is 1-for-18 over the past five games, and the Mariners really need him to get it going. There is no better time for Cano, as he would love to show out against the team that let him walk in 2014.