M’S Become King Of Dome Seattle’s Unlikely 6-5 Triumph Is Its Eighth Win In A Row At Home
Facing their nemesis, the Oakland Athletics, the Seattle Mariners didn’t have a hit after the fourth inning, gave up four home runs and had struggling Norm Charlton on the mound in the ninth inning.
The ingredients don’t mix into victory often, but with an aggressive early offense Seattle held on for a 6-5 victory over the Athletics as 27,857 watched in the Kingdome.
Seattle stays 3-1/2 games ahead of Anaheim, a 1-0 winner over Texas, in the American League West division. It is the largest lead Seattle has ever held atop the division.
Maybe the Mariners’ magic comes from the lineup Lou Piniella has used on the current five-game winning streak. The particular order is now 8-0 on the season and Seattle has won eight consecutive home games.
The Mariners’ current stretch of quality play couldn’t come at a better time. After sweeping Texas, Seattle plays six more games against A.L. West foes before the All-Star break. While Anaheim and Texas take wins away from each other this week, Seattle could realistically build a sizable lead in the division.
“This is the time we need to step it up and get out after it a bit,” said third baseman Russ Davis, who went 2 for 4 to improve his career-high hit streak to 12 games and made an important defensive play in the ninth.
“There was a spell we’d get good pitching and not the offense and good offense and not the pitching,” Davis said. “It’s all kind of jelled right now.”
It came together in an odd way Monday as Seattle’s offense pounded out 11 hits in the first four innings to string together six runs. Then the offense disappeared against the American League’s worst pitching staff and it was the Mariners pitchers, not their batters, who allowed Seattle to hang on.
The Mariners’ early damage came with less-than-spectacular ingredients. Jose Cruz Jr. attempted to sacrifice bunt Joey Cora to second in the first inning and Cruz, hustling down the line, beat the throw from A’s starter Dave Telgheder. After Edgar Martinez walked, Jay Buhner tried to check his swing at a Telgheder curve ball. Instead, Buhner got enough of it to punch the ball through the middle, scoring Cora and Cruz.
“I told him, ‘how many times have you hit it right at people?”’ manager Lou Piniella said of Buhner’s odd single. “He’s entitled to a check-swing base hit. As it turned out, it got us two big runs.”
In the second inning, the ability to take an extra base was helpful. Davis hit a pitch to left-center that was kicked by center fielder Jason McDonald and Davis moved around to third. After Cora looped a one-out double, Cruz again reached without hitting the ball cleanly out of the infield. This time, second baseman Mark Bellhorn fielded a bouncer going into center field and couldn’t make a throw. Ken Griffey singled to score Cora and Cruz raced around to third just ahead of a throw.
Lefty Greg McCarthy replaced starter Derek Lowe in the sixth inning and had a stretch in which he struck out five consecutive A’s in the sixth and seventh innings. Scott Sanders ran the consecutive strikeout string to seven in the eighth before he gave up a home run to Matt Stairs making it 6-5.
Craig Griffey released
Craig Griffey, the younger brother of Seattle superstar Ken Griffey Jr., asked for and was granted his unconditional release from the Mariners’ organization Monday.
Griffey, 26, had thought of ending his minor league career toward the end of spring training but decided to give it another year.
He was Seattle’s 42nd-round pick in 1991. He opened the season at Tacoma but had just three at-bats.
Notes
Alex Rodriguez hit balls off a tee but his time table for return from the DL is still unclear… . Ken Griffey is playing through some pain in his shoulder caused by his diving attempt at an Ivan Rodriguez double in Texas Sunday… . Tonight, Randy Johnson (11-1, 2.19) will face A’s rookie Steve Karsay (1-7, 5.32) at 7:05. The game will not be televised.
xxxx Mariners 6, Athletics 5 Oakland AB R H BI BB SO Avg. JMcDonald cf 5 1 1 0 0 2 .283 Giambi lf 4 1 1 1 0 1 .314 Berroa rf 1 0 0 0 0 1 .305 Mashore rf 3 0 0 1 0 2 .256 Canseco dh 4 1 1 1 0 2 .241 Stairs 1b 3 1 1 1 1 0 .349 Magadan 3b 1 0 1 0 1 0 .257 a-Brosius ph-3b 2 0 0 0 0 1 .188 Bournigal ss 3 0 1 0 0 2 .274 c-McGwire ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 .282 1-Oquist pr 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 2-Lennon pr 0 0 0 0 0 0 .324 Mayne c 2 0 0 0 0 0 .208 b-GoWillms ph-c 2 0 0 0 0 1 .242 Bellhorn 2b 4 1 1 1 0 1 .295 Totals 35 5 8 5 2 13
Seattle AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Cora 2b 4 2 1 0 0 0 .338 Cruz Jr lf 5 2 2 0 0 2 .247 Ducey lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .222 Griffey Jr cf 4 1 2 1 0 0 .306 EMartinez dh 3 0 2 2 1 0 .336 Buhner rf 3 0 1 2 1 1 .237 Sorrento 1b 4 0 0 0 0 2 .278 DaWilson c 4 0 1 0 0 1 .282 RDavis 3b 4 1 2 0 0 1 .316 Espinoza ss 4 0 0 1 0 0 .200 Totals 35 6 11 6 2 7
Oakland 002 020 010 5 Seattle 230 100 00x 6 a-grounded out for Magadan in the 6th. b-struck out for Mayne in the 6th. c-singled for Bournigal in the 9th. 1-ran for McGwire in the 9th. 2-ran for Oquist in the 9th. E-JMcDonald (2), Stairs (1). LOB-Oakland 5, Seattle 8. 2B-JMcDonald (4), Cora (25), EMartinez (18), RDavis (21). HR-Stairs (11) off SSanders; Canseco (17) off Lowe; Giambi (8) off Lowe; Bellhorn (1) off Lowe. RBIs-Giambi (41), Mashore (16), Canseco (52), Stairs (30), Bellhorn (3), Griffey Jr (78), EMartinez 2 (53), Buhner 2 (60), Espinoza (7). SB-Griffey Jr (7). GIDP- Buhner. Runners left in scoring position-Oakland 3 (JMcDonald, Mayne, Bellhorn); Seattle 4 (Cora, DaWilson 3). Runners moved up-Giambi, Mashore, Mayne, GoWilliams, Sorrento, Espinoza. DP-Oakland 1 (Telgheder, Bellhorn and Stairs).
Oakland IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Telgheder L, 2-4 5 11 6 6 2 3 103 6.02 CReyes 3 0 0 0 0 4 31 3.49 Seattle IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Lowe W, 2-2 5 6 4 4 2 4 75 5.70 McCarthy 2 0 0 0 0 5 27 3.80 SSanders 1 2 1 1 0 3 17 6.75 Charlton S, 11 1 0 0 0 0 1 11 7.00 SSanders pitched to 1 batter in the 9th. Inherited runners-scored-Charlton 1-0. HBP-by Telgheder (Cora). T-2:31. A-27,857 (59,084).