M’s losing skid hits six games
SEATTLE – Carlos Guillen drove in the go-ahead run with an RBI single in the third inning, and rookie Zach Miner combined with five relievers on a six-hitter as the Detroit Tigers beat the sinking Seattle Mariners 2-1 Saturday night.
Miner allowed three hits in five innings for his sixth consecutive win, tying Minnesota’s Francisco Liriano and the Los Angeles Angels’ Jared Weaver for the longest winning streak by an American League rookie this season.
Miner (6-1) struggled with his control – only 47 of his first 82 pitches were strikes – but he walked only three.
He struck out a career-high six.
Todd Jones pitched a perfect ninth for his 23rd save in 26 chances.
Detroit is now 59-28, tied with the 1911 and ‘84 Tigers for the franchise’s best record after 87 games.
The ‘84 team won a team-record 104 games and then the World Series.
The Tigers have a three-game lead over the Chicago White Sox in the A.L. Central, assuring Detroit will be in first place at the All-Star break for the first time since 1988.
“Yaaay!” manager Jim Leyland said facetiously before the game, waving his hands above his head.
“Where you end up, that’s what matters,” Leyland said. “It’s like the horse I bet on today. He was in the lead half the race – and finished last. They don’t pay you for winning the halfway thing.”
Seattle lost its season high-tying sixth straight game, matching its longest home losing streak since 2000.
Jarrod Washburn (4-9) allowed seven hits and one earned run in six innings, walking two and striking out three.
Shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt error led to Guillen’s RBI and the decisive, unearned run. Chris Shelton drove in Craig Monroe with a second-inning single for the other run.
Seattle manager Mike Hargrove exemplified his team’s frustration at falling from a season-high two games over .500 last week.
He went nose-to-nose and traded profanities with home plate umpire Ted Barrett after Raul Ibanez argued he did not swing as Barrett had ruled for a sixth-inning strikeout.
Barrett ejected Hargrove, who was then restrained by crew chief Rick Reed before he spun his cap on the field from the dugout steps.
The Mariners threatened with two outs in the seventh on single by Betancourt and Ichiro Suzuki’s first hit in 15 at-bats.
After Fernando Rodney relieved Wilfredo Ledezma, his wild pitch moved both runners up. Howver, Adrian Beltre chased the next low pitch for an inning-ending strikeout.
Ibanez hit Miner’s second pitch of the second inning just over the right-field wall for his 20th home run. He had 20 in 162 games last season.
Ichiro had a chance to tie the game off Miner with the infield in and one out in the fifth, after Marcus Thames allowed Betancourt’s one-hop single to go past him in left field for a two-base error. But Ichiro swung over a Miner curveball that bounced in front of the plate for strike three.
After Miner walked Beltre, he got Jose Lopez to ground into a force out that stranded Betancourt. Miner slapped his glove with his bare hand to celebrate.
Notes
The Tigers are 33-14 on the road. They were 32-49 on the road last season. … Detroit’s 48 wins by starters leads the major leagues. … Carlos Guillen’s hitting streak is a season-high 11. … Ichiro Suzuki’s first start this season at DH put Carl Everett in RF for the first time since last Aug. 28, when he was with the White Sox. Everett ran far to the foul line to catch Craig Monroe’s pop fly with two Tigers on to end the top of the fifth.
Tigers 2, Mariners 1
| Detroit | AB | R | H | BI | BB | SO | Avg. |
| Infante cf | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .259 |
| Agomez lf | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .274 |
| Polanco 2b | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .286 |
| IRodriguez c | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .308 |
| MOrdonez rf | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .311 |
| Cguillen ss | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .302 |
| Monroe dh | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .245 |
| Thames lf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .297 |
| Granderson cf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .281 |
| Shelton 1b | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .285 |
| Inge 3b | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .223 |
| Totals | 35 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Seattle | AB | R | H | BI | BB | SO | Avg. |
| Isuzuki dh | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .347 |
| Beltre 3b | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .254 |
| JoLopez 2b | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .280 |
| Ibanez lf | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .288 |
| Sexson 1b | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .220 |
| Ceverett rf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .232 |
| Johjima c | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .287 |
| Bloomquist cf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .261 |
| a-Petagine ph | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .185 |
| YBetancourt ss | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .284 |
| Totals | 33 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 9 |
| Detroit | 011 | 000 | 000 – 2 | 9 | 1 |
| Seattle | 010 | 000 | 000 – 1 | 6 | 1 |
a-flied out for Bloomquist in the 9th. E – Thames (1), YBetancourt (10). LOB – Detroit 9, Seattle 8. 2B – Polanco (15), Monroe (17), Ibanez (19). 3B – Shelton (4). HR – Ibanez (20), off Miner. RBIs – CGuillen (52), Shelton (42), Ibanez (70). GIDP – Monroe. Runners left in scoring position – Detroit 5 (Infante, CGuillen 2, Monroe, Shelton); Seattle 4 (Beltre 2, JoLopez, Johjima). Runners moved up – MOrdonez. DP – Seattle 1 (JoLopez, YBetancourt and Sexson).
| Detroit | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | NP | ERA |
| Miner W, 6-1 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 100 | 2.57 |
| Jwalker H, 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 1.13 |
| Grilli H, 5 | 2/3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3.77 |
| Ledezma | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Rodney H, 10 | 1 1/3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 3.73 |
| Tjones S, 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 5.82 |
| Seattle | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | NP | ERA |
| Washburn L, 4-9 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 102 | 4.58 |
| RSoriano | 1 2/3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 2.38 |
| Putz | 1 1/3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 2.16 |
Ledezma pitched to 1 batter in the 7th. Inherited runners-scored – Ledezma 1-0, Rodney 2-0, Putz 2-0. WP – Rodney. PB – Johjima. T – 2:47. A – 32,404 (47,447).