Morse comes through in clutch

SEATTLE – Rookie Mike Morse peppers his manager and teammates with questions, trying to soak up as much knowledge as possible.

And every now and then, he sure shines for the Seattle Mariners.

Morse lined a game-winning RBI single to right field after reliever Chris Ray’s throwing error put a runner on third base, giving the Mariners a 3-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday night.

“This is a first for me,” said Morse, who is hitting .345 since being called up from Triple-A Tacoma on May 31. “It was awesome, especially to do it at this level and to see the guys run out and congratulate you.”

Adrian Beltre led off the ninth with a single to right off Ray (0-1), and Willie Bloomquist hit a dribbler that Ray fielded and threw way over the head of first baseman Rafael Palmeiro.

Given another chance, Ray would have handled things differently.

“I would probably have faked to first and held on to that ball,” he said. “I just thought I could get him at that point. I made a bad throw. I was a little off-balance when I made the throw.”

The ball sailed into the stands, but Bloomquist was awarded a single. Ray was charged with an error that put Beltre at third and Bloomquist on second for Morse, who sent an 0-2 pitch into right field.

“No outs right there. Everybody dreams of getting the big hit and winning the game,” Morse said. “The more games you win like that, I guess the respect comes, but I’m nowhere near that yet.”

Seattle manager Mike Hargrove said Morse has an inquisitive mind, asking a lot of questions before he hits.

“He’ll ask me before an at-bat about how the pitcher is throwing,” Hargrove said. “A lot of times, what he thinks is right on the mark. He asks a lot of good questions. It’s a good way to learn.”

Bloomquist’s at-bat was just as important.

After two unsuccessful bunt attempts for two strikes, he accomplished exactly what he’d hoped on a swing that chopped the ball onto the infield grass.

“That was a terrible job of executing the bunt on my part, but sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good,” Bloomquist said. “I couldn’t have rolled it any better if I was trying to bunt it.”

J.J. Putz (2-3) got the win after relieving Jamie Moyer in the ninth. Moyer, who earned his 200th career victory in his previous start on July 8, pitched eight strong innings in a duel with Baltimore’s Bruce Chen.

Moyer allowed two runs on 10 hits with five strikeouts and one walk. Chen worked 72/3 innings, allowing two runs on six hits with five strikeouts and one walk.

Baltimore tied it at 2 in the fourth, with Surhoff hitting a sacrifice fly and Bigbie recording a run-scoring groundout.

Richie Sexson hit a solo home run in the first to put the Mariners up 2-0, just after Raul Ibanez’s sacrifice fly.

The Orioles missed a chance to move into a tie with Boston for first place in the A.L. East after the New York Yankees beat the Red Sox 7-4 earlier Saturday.

Snelling likely headed back down

Chris Snelling was one of the hottest hitters in all of professional baseball when the Mariners called him up on July 3. He was batting .363 for the Tacoma Rainiers with seven home runs and 40 RBIs in 57 games.

However, when utility player Dave Hansen went on the disabled list because of tendinitis in his left elbow, Snelling replaced not only his roster spot, but his idle time as well.

The Mariners called up Snelling, even though left-handed-hitting Greg Dobbs also was at Tacoma and had filled the utility role for the M’s early in the season.

Snelling has started just two games and gotten just five at-bats since he came up. He was out of the lineup again Saturday against Orioles left-hander Bruce Chen, even though left-handed hitters were batting .400 against Chen.

“He hasn’t played as much as I would have liked, but probably as much as I had envisioned when he came here,” manager Mike Hargrove said.

Chances are good Snelling will go back to everyday play this week. Hansen is scheduled to come off the disabled list for Tuesday’s game at Toronto, and Snelling is considered the likely choice to return to Tacoma.

Stuff, not control

Hargrove said Joel Pineiro’s pitches were sharp Friday in his 6-3 loss to the Orioles, but his inability to throw strikes early in the game cost him.

“His first 50 pitches, he threw 25 balls and 25 strikes,” Hargrove said. “We felt Joel was trying to be a little too fine and a little too perfect instead of trusting his stuff.”

Pineiro threw 47 pitches in the first two innings, when the Orioles took a 3-0 lead, and he was done after five innings and 98 pitches.

The loss was a return to Pineiro’s earlier struggles, when he went winless in 11 straight starts before pitching a complete game against the Angels on the last road trip. Hargrove said there’s no magic fix, except for Pineiro to keep working.

“I think every outing Joel’s a little better,” Hargrove said. “His velocity was good, he looked good and strong and he was firm with everything. He fell behind hitters early in the count and that’s a tough way to pitch, especially against the offensive lineup the Orioles have.”