By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com NEW YORK -- Felix Hernandez once again dominated and Russell Branyan cracked two home runs as the Mariners shut down the Yankees, 6-0, on Friday at Yankee Stadium. Coming into the contest with three consecutive complete games against the Yankees, "King Felix" got up for the pinstripes once more, as the hard-throwing right-hander faced the minimum through the first three innings and did not allow a hit until Derek Jeter doubled with one out in the fourth. The stifling Hernandez permitted just four hits in all, working out of trouble in the fifth inning to eliminate a bases-loaded threat by striking out both Ramiro Pena and Brett Gardner to end the frame -- the closest the Yankees would come to cracking through. Seattle put three runs on the board before the Yankees could even come to bat, as Branyan crushed his first homer of the night, a three-run shot to right-center field that gave Hernandez an immediate lead to work with. The Mariners added a run in the third inning as Franklin Gutierrez singled, stole second and scored on a Casey Kotchman hit, and Ichiro Suzuki legged out a run-scoring fielder's choice in the fourth before Burnett induced an inning-ending fielder's choice with the bases loaded. That escape from further damage only lasted another couple of innings, as boos rained down from Yankee Stadium's three decks following Branyan's second homer of the evening and the 18th of his season, a solo blast to center with two outs in the sixth. Burnett threw a season-high 122 pitches in the outing, charged with six runs and 12 hits -- the most safeties the Mariners have notched against any starter this season. Burnett walked three and struck out four, reverting to his rocky form after turning in a decent no-decision on Aug. 10 at Texas and a tough-luck loss on Sunday at Kansas City. New York also only enjoyed the services of Alex Rodriguez -- returning to the lineup after missing three games with a left calf strain -- for one at-bat. Rodriguez chopped a second-inning grounder to third base but jogged lightly toward first base, and was pinch-hit for by Austin Kearns when the DH spot came back around in the fourth inning.
