Morrison goes deep twice, Felix gets a win for M’s

SEATTLE – Felix Hernandez threw seven strong innings to win for the first time since June 2, Logan Morrison hit two long homers, and the Seattle Mariners used a six-run fourth inning to rout the Boston Red Sox 12-3 on Monday night. Seattle won its fourth straight after a weekend sweep in Kansas City. The Mariners finally provided Hernandez (9-2) the run support lacking in his last three starts and battered right-hander John Lackey (8-5) in his shortest outing since September 2011. Seattle had scored one run total while Hernandez was on the mound in his previous three starts. After falling behind early, Seattle blew the game open in the fourth, capped by Endy Chavez’s bases-loaded triple off Lackey. Seattle sent 10 batters to the plate and scored three runs with two outs. Hernandez set a club record with his eighth straight start of pitching at least seven innings and allowing two earned runs or less. He struck out six, walked none and efficiently handed the Red Sox their fourth loss in five games. Hernandez’s only miscues were David Ortiz’s RBI single in the first and Mike Napoli’s solo homer in the fourth. Morrison had the first multihomer game of his career. His solo shot in the second inning off Lackey pulled Seattle even and he added to the offensive outburst with a two-run homer in the seventh, a 421-foot drive to center field off reliever Chris Capuano. Morrison finished with four hits for the third time in his career. Lackey was done after 32/3 innings, snapping a string of 39 straight starts going at least five innings. He gave up seven hits and walked three. Lackey needed 36 pitches to get through three innings and threw 38 pitches in getting just two outs in the fourth. M’s sign top pick Alex Jackson was understandably nervous being thrust into a batting practice group that included Robinson Cano. At some point in the future, the Seattle Mariners hope Jackson and Cano are residing in the same lineup. “You go up there with a little bit of nerves but at the same time all the players are having fun helping you out, so it was great,” Jackson said. The Mariners signed Jackson on Monday, locking up the No. 6 overall pick in this month’s draft with plenty of time for him to get experience this summer.