Aaron Judge, Yankees thump Mariners again, 10-2

Aaron Judge had plenty of help this time around.

For the second night in a row, the Yankees roughed up one of the Mariners’ young stud pitchers en route to a runaway 10-2 victory Tuesday before a crowd of 26,846 at T-Mobile Park.

Judge, after homering twice in the series opener Monday, hit another towering shot in the seventh inning Tuesday, the third homer of the night for the Yankees.

Judge hit an American League-record 62 homers last year and took American League Most Valuable Player honors for the first time. He looks primed to do it all again.

Rookie shortstop Anthony Volpe, the Yankees’ No. 7 hitter, gave the Yankees a 6-0 lead with a three-run home run off Logan Gilbert in the third inning, and Greg Allen, the No. 9 hitter, added a leadoff blast in the fourth to make it 7-0.

Gilbert had allowed just two home runs combined in his previous five May starts.

The Yankees (34-23) have outscored the Mariners 20-6 in the first two games of the series.

Seattle’s third young starter, George Kirby, will try to help the Mariners (28-27) avoid a sweep Wednesday night on the final day of this 10-game homestand. Kirby is coming off his worst outing of the season in a loss to Pittsburgh on Friday.

“It happens, and it’s tough that it’s strung together like this (for Seattle’s young starters),” Gilbert said. “But I think everybody’s been throwing the ball well all season. You’ve just got to flush it and move on.”

Mariners starting pitchers have been so steady, so dominant, to start the season, particularly here at home, posting a 3.12 earned-run average with 25 home runs allowed in 29 games entering this series.

The Yankees have hit six homers already in the first two games of the series.

“We haven’t had this happen back-to-back nights. Our starting pitching has been so solid all year long and it allows us to be competitive every night, and last couple nights it’s gotten away from us,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said, adding: “You play 162 games, you are going to have some clunkers. It’s not good to have it back-to-back nights. But that’s where we’re at.”

Gilbert was tagged with his worst start of the season, allowing seven runs — five earned — on seven hits with one walk and four strikeouts.

The Yankees had scored three runs in the top of the first inning after a leadoff single from Gleyber Torres and a walk to Judge. They also benefited from a rare error by Mariners third baseman Eugenio Suarez that loaded the bases with one out.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa singled to center field to drive in the first two runs, and Julio Rodriguez overthrew his cutoff to allow two runners to take an extra base.

Jake Bauers followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0.

At that point, Servais said he was already pondering whether to get someone warm in the bullpen. Gilbert was able to work through the first, but it took him 38 pitches, and the Mariners couldn’t recover.

Volpe’s three-run shot was a dagger.

With two outs and two on, Gilbert had gotten ahead of Volpe 1-2 before unleashing a 90-mph slider. It wasn’t a terrible pitch; Gilbert kept it down. Problem was, it caught just enough of the middle of the plate, and Volpe jumped all over it, sending it 413 feet out to left field.

Judge hit his home run on the first pitch thrown in the seventh inning by reliever Darren McCaughan, who was recalled from Class AAA Tacoma earlier Tuesday. It was a soaring solo shot that just cleared the fence in left-center, extending the Yankees’ lead to 8-2.

Judge’s 18 home runs lead the AL this season.

“Everybody knows he’s a heck of a player,” Servais said. “But we have to stay on the attack with him. He hits the ball; he’s going to hit a few homers. That’s what he does. But I think when you’re trying to be perfect and live on the edges, that’s what can get you oftentimes.”

Seattle’s offense couldn’t get much going early against Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes.

The Mariners scratched out two runs off Cortes in the fifth, on run-scoring doubles from Ty France and Teoscar Hernandez.

In the sixth, catcher Tom Murphy was ejected by home-plate umpire Brian Walsh after Murphy shook his head in disagreement with a check-swing strike called by first-base umpire C.B. Bucknor. At first, Murphy didn’t even see the ejection signal from Walsh, which added to the confusion.

“Honestly, I’m still shocked by it,” Murphy said in the clubhouse afterward.

Servais came out to argue on Murphy’s behalf and was immediately ejected by Walsh, too.

“I’m always appreciative of that. Something as ridiculous as that probably should be defended by the manager, and I’m really glad he went out there and did that,” Murphy said.

The Mariners had been displeased with Walsh’s strike zone much of the game. Walsh was making just his second MLB appearance working behind the plate.

Bucknor is scheduled to work behind the plate Wednesday.

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