Ichiro hits way past Blue Jays
SEATTLE — Ichiro Suzuki had three hits to give him 50 in May, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-2 Monday night.
Suzuki became the first player since Pete Rose to have two 50-plus hit months in his career. He had 51 in August of 2001. Rose had 52 in July of 1973 and 51 in September of 1979.
Suzuki finished 3 for 4 with an RBI and closed out the month 50 for 125 (.400).
Randy Winn had a single and a triple and drove in three runs to help support Jamie Moyer (4-2), who won his third straight start and lowered his ERA to 4.06 after opening the season with a 1-2 record and a 5.29 ERA through his first eight starts.
Moyer allowed seven hits and two runs over 7 2/3 innings. He struck out four and walked one.
Shigetoshi Hasegawa relieved with two outs and runners on first and second in the eighth. He struck out Josh Phelps looking to end the threat.
Eddie Guardado pitched the ninth.
After losing three of the last four games of their road trip, Seattle got back on track in opener of a 12-game homestand.
Toronto starter Pat Hentgen (2-4) was sharp early, striking out four over the first two innings, but then got roughed up. He lasted five innings, allowing eight hits and four earned runs. He walked three and struck out six.
Seattle scored twice in the third. Rich Aurilia led off with a single, and moved to second on Dan Wilson’s sacrifice. Suzuki followed with an RBI single up the middle. Suzuki then scored on Winn’s triple into the right-field corner.
Toronto cut it to 2-1 in the fourth when Vernon Wells hit a 417-foot homer to left-center. It was his sixth home run of the season.
Seattle added two more in the bottom half. With one out, John Olerud doubled and then scored on Aurilia’s single. Wilson walked, and with two outs Winn had an RBI single to give Seattle a 4-1 lead.
Frank Menechino hit his first home run of the season in the sixth to trim Seattle’s lead to 4-2. It was the A.L.-leading 16th homer allowed by Moyer.
Seattle added two runs on Winn’s sacrifice fly and an RBI single by Edgar Martinez in the eighth.
Soriano getting second MRI
Rafael Soriano’s sour season took another turn Monday.
And this turn was about as well received as all the other twists that have greeted the Mariners’ pitcher this season. Seattle manager Bob Melvin said that Soriano, the hard-throwing 24-year-old reliever, is scheduled for a second magnetic-resonance imaging (MRI) this week to see what’s wrong with his right elbow.
“He’s still having discomfort,” Melvin said. “We’ll set-up another MRI. … He will not throw until he’s evaluated.”
Soriano’s been on the disabled list since May 12 with a strain of the medial collateral ligament in his right elbow.
Soriano is 0-3 with a 13.50 ERA in six games. Soriano’s last appearance came on May 9 against New York, when he was charged with the loss. He was then put on the disabled list for the second time this season
Soriano, who was 3-0 last season with a 1.53 ERA in 40 games, injured his oblique muscle in spring training and never totally recovered.
That injury kept him from building his velocity the way the team would have liked. Soriano was first placed on the disabled list April 14.
After making four combined appearances for Class AA San Antonio and Class A Inland Empire, Soriano was activated May 4 after his velocity returned to 94 mph.
But eight days later Soriano was placed on the disabled list again.
Melvin didn’t seem too troubled Monday about Soriano.
“I don’t think it’s a surgery type of thing … that’s just my opinion,” he said. “We’re getting the second one (MRI) done to show how much better he’s gotten or if it’s gotten better at all.”
A healthy Soriano would help address one of Seattle’s biggest deficiencies: the bullpen.
Shigetoshi Hasegawa (6.08 ERA) and Julio Mateo (4.94) haven’t been nearly as effective as they were last season.
On tap
Seattle’s Gil Meche (1-5, 6.97 ERA) makes the start today against Toronto’s Roy Halladay (5-4, 3.58) at 7:05 p.m. FSN will televise the game.