NEW YORK — On a night of injuries, the Seattle Mariners patched together just enough pitching to win.
Andy Pettitte and Chris Stewart became the latest Yankees to get hurt, and emergency Seattle starter Hector Noesi pitched into the fifth inning in place of ailing Aaron Harang to lead the Mariners over New York 3-2 Thursday night.
Pettitte (4-3) left after 4 2/3 innings because of an injured back muscle near his left shoulder. New York said Pettitte hurt his trapezius muscle, and there was no immediate word on his prognosis.
Chris Stewart, who took over as the Yankees’ starting catcher when Francisco Cervelli broke a hand last month, limped off after the seventh inning and was replaced by Austin Romine.
Harang, Seattle’s scheduled starter, felt a twinge in his back Wednesday and notified the Mariners, who in turn told Noesi to prepare for his first big league start of the season.
A 26-year-old right-hander, Noesi was acquired by the Mariners from the Yankees in January 2012 in the trade that sent promising pitcher Michael Pineda to New York and made four relief appearances for Seattle this year. He gave up an unearned run and three hits in 4 1/3 innings, leaving with two on.
Lefty Oliver Perez (1-0), his career revived in Seattle, entered with runners at the corners and struck out Brett Gardner and retired Jayson Nix on a popup. Perez has inherited eight runners this year and hasn’t allowed any to score, according to STATS.
Carter Capps, throwing 98 mph heat, got out of trouble in the eighth after Curtis Granderson’s one-out double by retiring rookie David Adams on a popup and striking out Ichiro Suzuki.
Tom Wilhelmsen finished to remain perfect in 11 save chances. He allowed a one-out single to Gardner, who stole second and third. He struck out Nix — leaving right-handed batters 0 for 30 against him this year — then retired Robinson Cano on a groundout to shortstop.
Mariners manager Eric Wedge was ejected in the second inning when he argued from the dugout on a called third strike against Raul Ibanez, who had homered three times in the first two games of the series.
Trailing 2-1, Pettitte struck out Kyle Seager for the second out of the fifth and reached for his right side with his left arm.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi went to the mound accompanied by pitching coach Larry Rothschild and a trainer. They spoke with the left-hander for a while, then Pettitte trotted to the dugout and was replaced by Shawn Kelley, a former Seattle pitcher.
An inning earlier, Pettitte ran into foul territory on the third base side to make a basket catch on Ibanez’s shallow popup.
Pettitte allowed two runs, four hits and three walks in 4 2/3 innings with five strikeouts. He had been seeking his 250th big league win.
Dustin Ackley hit an RBI double in the second, and the Yankees tied the score in the bottom half when Granderson singled on a slow roller, took second as Noesi’s throw skipped past first for an error and scored when David Adams doubled for his first big league RBI.
Brendan Ryan, in a 5-for-60 slide, had a go-ahead infield single to the shortstop hole with the bases loaded in the fourth.
Morse then homered off Kelley in the sixth, a drive that bounced off the divider between Monument Park and the Yankees bullpen in right-center for his 10th homer this season.
New York closed to 3-2 in the seventh on an RBI single by Cano, with Ryan rushing his throw from shortstop and bouncing it to first. Stewart appeared to injure a leg crossing to third on the play.
