Peguero steps in to power M’s past Detroit

DETROIT – While Ichiro Suzuki restlessly took a night off, Carlos Peguero and the Seattle Mariners rallied to win without him.

Peguero homered and tripled starting in place of Ichiro in right field, and the Mariners beat the Detroit Tigers 3-2 on Friday night. The struggling Ichiro, who had played in 255 consecutive games, was given a chance to rest. Peguero, a rookie playing his 26th major league game, helped Seattle overcome a 2-1 deficit.

“I feel more relaxed,” Peguero said. “My timing is better right now. I feel like I don’t have to swing really, really hard to hit the ball far.”

Peguero tripled in the fifth and scored to tie the game at 2. Then in the seventh, he hit a towering flyball down the right-field line off Brad Penny (5-5) that stayed a few feet fair as it went over the wall.

Chris Ray (3-1) pitched the sixth and seventh innings in relief for Seattle. David Pauley worked the eighth, and Brandon League pitched the ninth for his 18th save.

With two outs and a man on first, pinch-hitter Ramon Santiago lifted a flyball deep to the right-field corner, but it landed foul. He eventually grounded out to end the game.

Victor Martinez hit a two-run homer for the Tigers, one of only five hits for Detroit.

Seattle starter Erik Bedard allowed two runs and three hits in five innings. He struck out six and walked three before giving way to Ray.

Justin Smoak put Seattle ahead with a solo homer in the top of the first, his 11th of the season. Martinez answered in the fourth with an opposite-field shot that gave Detroit a 2-1 lead.

The four scoreless innings from the bullpen helped the Mariners win for the 17th time in their last 25 games.