M’s end home losing streak

SEATTLE – Raul Ibanez’s two-run single off reliever Jamie Walker capped a three-run seventh inning for Seattle, and the Mariners snapped a seven-game home losing streak with an 8-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday.

Ibanez finished with three RBIs as the Mariners avoided being swept at home by the Orioles for the first time since 1997.

Seattle’s big inning began when Baltimore starter Daniel Cabrera couldn’t find the strike zone. He sandwiched walks to Brian LaHair and Yuniesky Betancourt around Jeff Clement’s infield single. That was the end of the day for Cabrera, who walked Betancourt on four pitches – just the seventh walk this season for the Mariners impatient shortstop.

Walker didn’t fare much better.

With the bases loaded, Ichiro Suzuki chopped a grounder over the mound that Brian Roberts fielded well behind the bag at second. He threw to Alex Cintron at second, but Cintron never got a glove on the throw and it hit him in the stomach. Pinch-runner Miguel Cairo scored to break the 4-all tie. Ibanez then dribbled a grounder past Roberts’ diving attempt and into right field, scoring Clement and Betancourt. Clement added an RBI single in the eighth.

J.J. Putz (3-4) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings for the victory, as he continues working back into form after missing more than a month with a hyperextended right elbow.

Jose Lopez hit his ninth homer of the season and Jeremy Reed drove in a pair of runs for Seattle, which had not won at home since July 18 against Cleveland, the Mariners’ first game after the All-Star break.

Carlos Silva pitched well for Seattle, rebounding from a pair of bad performances in his previous two starts.

Silva pitched 6 2/3 innings, giving up four runs and nine hits but avoiding a big inning early in the game. He gave up two runs in the second and had runners at second and third, but Cintron’s liner to third was caught by Adrian Beltre, who beat Luke Scott to the bag for the double play to end the threat.

Cabrera, who could hear Monday on his appeal of a six-game suspension for throwing at the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez, twice failed to finish off an inning after his offense had given him the lead.

The first came in the third when Roberts homered to give Baltimore a 3-2 lead, only to see Cabrera (7-7) allow a lead off double to Betancourt. He scored two batters later on Reed’s sacrifice fly.

Again in the sixth, the Orioles went ahead on Kevin Millar’s two-out single to score Nick Markakis. But Cabrera lost the lead minutes later when Lopez caromed his homer off the left field foul pole.

Cabrera allowed six earned runs and struck out six.