Borders closes book on M’s futility

SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners barely avoided being shut out for a team-record third consecutive time.

The Mariners ended a 29-inning scoreless drought when Pat Borders’ bases-loaded single with two outs in the ninth gave them a 1-0 victory over the Montreal Expos on Friday night.

Seattle hadn’t scored since Scott Spiezio homered in the fifth inning of a 5-0 win over Houston on Monday night. The Astros shut out the Mariners 1-0 Tuesday night and 3-0 Wednesday night.

Seattle has been blanked twice in a row 18 times in club history.

“The farther it goes along, these streaks that you have going, everybody is aware that we haven’t scored in a while,” Mariners manager Bob Melvin said. “So it gets that much tougher to get that hit because everybody starts to press just a little bit and a little bit more and a little bit more.

“But Pat’s immune to all that stuff,” he said.

Borders, a 41-year-old backup catcher, was the MVP of the 1992 World Series with Toronto.

He came through in the clutch this time, too.

John Olerud singled leading off the ninth against Livan Hernandez (3-6), and pinch-runner Hiram Bocachica stole second with two outs. Rich Aurilia was walked intentionally, and pinch-hitter Dave Hansen walked on a 3-2 pitch, loading the bases.

Borders, who entered after starting catcher Dan Wilson left for a pinch-runner in the eighth, singled to left on a 1-1 pitch from Hernandez, scoring Bocachica.

“Livan has a pretty good idea of who’s on deck and who can hurt him more than the other guy,” Melvin said. “Pat just got a ball he could drive through the infield.”

Borders came up to the plate in the ninth batting .095 (2 for 21).

He’s with the Mariners only because Ben Davis was sent to Triple-A Tacoma on May 5 because he wasn’t hitting. Borders has played in only nine games since.

“It’s always fun being up there in a pressure situation. It’s fun playing,” Borders said.

Borders said he didn’t feel any pressure because of the scoreless streak.

“I was only there for one scoreless inning,” he said.

Ryan Franklin allowed five hits in eight scoreless innings for Seattle, and Eddie Guardado (2-0) worked a hitless ninth for the win.

“As long as we win, I’m happy,” said Franklin, who has pitched 14 straight shutout innings. “If I go out and pitch like that every time out, I’m happy. If I continue to do that, I think we’ll win more than we’ll lose.”

Hernandez gave up 10 hits, walked five and struck out five in his 34th career complete game and third this season. Expos manager Frank Robinson left Hernandez in the game even though he threw 135 pitches.

“I felt good in the ninth,” Hernandez said. “I wasn’t tired.”

Robinson, whose team swept a doubleheader in Kansas City on Thursday, was disappointed.

“It’s too bad because it was tremendous pitching and some great defensive plays by us to keep us in the game,” he said. “But in the end, we wasted another outstanding pitching performance.”

The Mariners had two runners thrown out at the plate, one caught in a rundown between third and home and another picked off first.

In the first, Ichiro Suzuki was thrown out at the plate by left fielder Brad Wilkerson when he tried to score from second on Olerud’s single.

In the fourth, Randy Winn attempted to score from third on Edgar Martinez’s liner to center, but Endy Chavez’s throw got him at the plate.

In a baserunning blunder, Jolbert Cabrera was caught in a rundown in the third when he ran past third on Ichiro’s groundout to first baseman Nick Johnson.

And in the eighth, Hernandez picked off pinch-runner Willie Bloomquist at first after he ran for Wilson, who led off the inning with a single.