Ramirez helps put Yankees back into offensive funk

SEATTLE — Horacio Ramirez and Seattle's bullpen put the Yankees right back into their offensive funk.

Ramirez pitched effectively into the seventh inning and four relievers stymied New York to preserve the Mariners' 2-1 victory Sunday.

Seattle pieced together just enough offense to take two of three in the series, never scoring more than three runs in any game. Raul Ibanez had an RBI single in the third and Jose Lopez's sacrifice fly an inning later provided all the offense Ramirez needed.

Ramirez (3-2) worked 6 1-3 innings, allowing five hits and one run. He struck out only one, getting Robinson Cano looking at a called third strike leading off the sixth. But 14 of the 19 outs Ramirez got came on groundballs, and he was rarely hit hard.

Chris Reitsma, George Sherrill and rookie Brandon Morrow combined to get five outs, with Morrow striking out Alex Rodriguez on a 3-2 fastball with two on to end the eighth. J.J. Putz fanned three in the ninth for his ninth save in nine attempts.

Hideki Matsui doubled with one out, but Putz struck out Jorge Posada and Doug Mientkiewicz to end it. The Yankees fell a season-high eight games behind first-place Boston in the AL East.

Andy Pettitte pitched well for the third straight start but got little backing from New York's offense, which scored seven runs on Saturday night. Derek Jeter hit an RBI single in the sixth.

In the series, the Yankees scored only one run and hit .171 in 20 2-3 innings against left-handed pitching. The Mariners are 4-3 against New York this year.

Pettitte (2-2) pitched 7 1-3 innings, scattering nine hits and striking out two. His only mistakes came in the third and fourth. Seattle got three consecutive hits in the third, capped by Ibanez's RBI single to score Ichiro Suzuki. In the fourth, Jose Guillen led off with a double just out of the reach of Johnny Damon in center, and he scored on Lopez's fly to deep left.

Ramirez didn't allow a baserunner until the fourth, when Bobby Abreu walked with one out. After Derek Jeter flied out, Rodriguez singled for the Yankees' first hit. Ramirez got Jason Giambi to ground out to end the inning.

Damon got New York's second hit with one out in the sixth. He stole second and Jeter drove him in by lining a 3-0 pitch into left field. Rodriguez put a charge into Ramirez's next delivery, but Suzuki caught the deep fly on the warning track in right-center.

Ramirez left after consecutive singles by Matsui and Posada. Reitsma got pinch-hitter Mientkiewicz to ground into a 3-6-3 double play to end the threat.