Milwaukee Mauls Mariners Fassero Takes First Loss With Seattle As Brewers Total 11 Extra-Base Hits

It was a hit parade for the Milwaukee Brewers.

John Jaha and Matt Mieske hit consecutive homers during an eight-run second inning, and Tim Unroe hit a grand slam in the ninth as the Brewers routed the Seattle Mariners 17-4 Saturday night.

The Brewers tied a franchise record with 11 extra-base hits, including seven doubles and four homers. The other homer was a two-run blast by Marc Newfield in the fourth.

“We’ve got a good offensive ballclub,” Milwaukee manager Phil Garner said. “We just haven’t shown it much until tonight.”

The Brewers set season highs with 17 hits and 17 runs.

“I wasn’t ever concerned about us scoring runs,” Mieske, a former member of the Spokane Indians, said. “We finally started swinging the bats well.”

Milwaukee’s Jose Mercedes made his first major-league start, allowing nine hits and three runs in 4-2/3 innings. Bryce Florie (1-0), who also played in Spokane, pitched 2-1/3 innings for the victory.

Mercedes, normally a reliever, filled in for Ben McDonald, who was scratched from his scheduled start due to tightness in his right shoulder.

The Brewers batted around in the second inning to chase Jeff Fassero (4-1). Milwaukee had eight runs and eight hits in the inning, both season highs for the team.

Mike Matheny and Jeff Cirillo hit RBI doubles, Newfield an RBI single and Eddy Diaz an RBI groundout before Jaha and Mieske hit back-to-back homers.

“Kind of a nightmare, huh?”’ Fassero said.

The Brewers scored five runs in the ninth on Unroe’s first career homer and Jeff Huson’s RBI single.

Ducey, not Cruz, promoted

The Mariners dipped into the Tacoma outfield to come up with a left fielder Saturday - but it wasn’t the man most fans expected.

Rob Ducey, not Jose Cruz Jr., was flown in from Salt Lake City for the Brewers game once Lee Tinsley was placed on the 15-day disabled list with an inflamed elbow.

“I thought in spring training that Jose would be the first one called up,” the 31-year-old Ducey said. “I thought I might get the second chance, not the first.”

Ducey woke up in Utah, prepared to accompany the Rainiers to Calgary, but instead he hopped a jet and arrived in Seattle, where Lou Piniella put him in the starting lineup.

“He was hitting well, he’s a veteran and we needed someone to step right in,” Piniella said. “He might have a little more pop in his bat than Lee.”

In Tacoma, Ducey was batting .324 with no home runs and 11 RBI in 23 games. His resume also includes 252 big-league games with Toronto, California and Texas.

Notes

The Mariners’ 9-4 road record this season matches Colorado’s as the best in baseball. … Against right-hander Cal Eldred today, the Mariners are going to rest Russ Davis at third base and give left-handed hitting Brent Gates a start.