Mariners complete sweep
PITTSBURGH – Maybe facing an N.L. team was what Seattle’s Freddy Garcia needed to enjoy something he rarely gets in the American League: some run support.
Ichiro Suzuki hit a go-ahead double in a three-run seventh inning and the Mariners beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-4 on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep.
The Pirates were swept in three of their four interleague series and went 2-10 against the A.L. West, the sixth time in seven seasons they’ve had a losing record in interleague play.
“We’ve taken a licking,” manager Lloyd McClendon said. “I’ve been on the record for years as saying I’m not in favor of it.”
While the Pirates dropped their 17th in 20 games, Seattle won its fourth in a row and ninth in 13 games. The Mariners again got strong starting pitching from a staff that has a 2.17 ERA in its last 15 starts, with Garcia holding Pittsburgh to two runs in six innings.
“We’re starting to click a little bit,” Bret Boone said. “We can’t make up for 2 1/2 months in a week, but the talent here is too good to play like we played early on.”
With Yankees scouts watching him for a second straight start, Garcia (4-6) ended a three-game losing streak. The Mariners hadn’t scored with Garcia in the game during his previous two starts, and have one run or fewer with him on the mound in eight of his 14 starts.
“We know we’ve got a good team,” Garcia said. “We’ve got to get it going and start playing like this, get on a streak and win more games.”
Eddie Guardado, in for the fourth straight game, pitched the ninth for his second save of the series and 14th in 17 games. He ended the game by getting Daryle Ward on a liner to short with two runners on base.
The Mariners trailed 2-1 against Pirates starter Oliver Perez (3-4) until Dan Wilson and pinch-hitter Edgar Martinez walked with one out in the seventh. Perez yielded only three hits, but walked five – three of whom scored – and hit a batter.
Rookie left-hander Mike Gonzalez came on to allow Randy Winn’s tying single. Suzuki, 0 for 3 with two strikeouts against Perez, followed with a two-out double to right-center to score Winn. Cabrera also scored on the play to make it 4-2 when center fielder Tike Redman had trouble scooping up the ball, drawing an error.
Despite solo homers by Daryle Ward in the sixth off Garcia and Jason Kendall in the seventh off Shigetoshi Hasegawa, the Pirates lost their ninth in 11 home games.
Pittsburgh took a 1-0 lead in the first after second baseman Boone threw wildly on a potential force play at second.
Seattle tied it in the fourth on Wilson’s RBI single before Ward briefly put the Pirates up with his 10th homer – 10 more than he had last season with Los Angeles.
Kendall’s homer into the first row of the left-field seats was his first since Aug. 26. The Mariners got the run back on Hiram Bocachica’s sacrifice fly in the eighth, but the Pirates scored again in their half of the inning on pinch-hitter Ruben Mateo’s RBI single against reliever Julio Mateo.