M’s win game, lose Beltre

LOS ANGELES – Felix Hernandez scattered four hits over eight innings, and Ken Griffey Jr. and Russell Branyan each hit home runs, leading the Seattle Mariners to a 5-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night.

Before the game, Mariners third baseman Adrian Beltre informed the club that he’ll undergo shoulder surgery that will sideline him for six to eight weeks. Beltre singled in five at-bats and threw out two batters at first base in his final game before his yet-to-be-scheduled procedure to have bone spurs removed from his troublesome left shoulder, which was operated on in September for the same reason.

Hernandez (8-3) allowed an unearned run, struck out nine and walked one.

Ichiro Suzuki went 3 for 5 to raise his major league-leading average to .375 and record his seventh straight multihit game, matching his career best.

Eric Milton (2-1) gave up four runs and seven hits in five innings, striking out seven and walking none.

Rafael Furcal reached on an infield hit in the third inning and scored from third when eight-time Gold Glove right fielder Ichiro misplayed Casey Blake’s sinking liner for his second error of the season. But Hernandez retired his next 12 batters and 16 of his final 17 before David Aardsma finished up.

The 23-year-old right-hander is 4-0 with a 0.85 ERA in seven starts – including a two-hit shutout at San Diego – since giving up six runs over 52/3 innings in a 6-5 loss to the Angels on May 19 at Seattle.

Milton, activated from the DL earlier in the day after missing 17 games because of a back strain, is 1-6 with a 9.18 ERA in 10 career starts against Seattle.

The M’s increased their margin to 4-0 in the third when Ichiro led off with a single, Branyan followed with his first triple of the season and Griffey drove a 1-1 pitch into the right-field pavilion for his ninth homer this season and 620th of his career – fifth on the all-time list.

The homer was Griffey’s 55th during interleague play, keeping him one shy of Jim Thome for the most in that category since the format was established in 1997. Thome also homered Saturday.

Griffey, 39, has homered in three of the last five games in which he’s had an at-bat.

Mariners 5, Dodgers 1

E—I.Suzuki (2). LOB—Seattle 8, Los Angeles 7. 2B—I.Suzuki (14), F.Gutierrez 2 (8), Loney (15). 3B—Branyan (1). HR—Griffey Jr. (9), off Milton; Branyan (19), off Leach. RBIs—Branyan 2 (38), Griffey Jr. 2 (25), F.Gutierrez (26). RLSP—Seattle 5 (Griffey Jr. 2, F.Hernandez 2, Cedeno); Los Angeles 3 (Ethier 2, Kemp). RMU—Ro.Johnson 2, Hudson.

IBB—off Mota (Cedeno). WP—F.Hernandez. T—2:48. A—50,847 (56,000).