Indians trip up Mariners

CLEVELAND – Jhonny Peralta had two RBIs in his first game as Cleveland’s latest No. 3 hitter, and Cliff Lee pitched into the eighth inning to give the Indians a 4-3 win over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday.

Peralta, who began the season batting ninth, hit a solo homer in the fourth off Gil Meche (10-7) and added an RBI single in a two-run fifth as the Indians bounced back from a demoralizing 4-3 loss Friday night.

Lee (11-4) gave up three runs and eight hits in 7 1/3 innings while improving to 4-0 in four career starts against Seattle. The left-hander walked one and struck out five before being pulled after giving up Randy Winn’s one-out RBI double in the eighth.

Scott Sauerbeck and Bob Howry got Cleveland to the ninth, and Bob Wickman finished for his 24th save in 27 attempts. Wickman, making just his second appearance since the All-Star break, allowed the Mariners to put runners at second and third with two outs before getting pinch-hitter Chris Snelling to ground out.

Jason Dubois, acquired by the Indians earlier this week in a trade with the Chicago Cubs for Jody Gerut, hit his first A.L. homer. Dubois’ shot leading off the seventh put the Indians ahead 4-2.

Peralta brought Cleveland to 2-1 in the fourth with a leadoff homer, his 13th.

The Indians then scored two unearned runs in the fifth off Meche, who should have been out of the inning. After picking Aaron Boone off first for out No. 2, Meche got Grady Sizemore to hit a routine grounder to shortstop, but rookie Michael Morse nearly overthrew 6-foot-8 first baseman Richie Sexson, who had to jump high to pull it down.

Coco Crisp followed with a single as did Peralta, driving in Sizemore to tie it 2-2. Victor Martinez’s RBI single made it 3-2.

Sexson’s RBI double gave the Mariners a 2-0 lead in the fourth. With one out, Sexson tried to score on Willie Bloomquist’s fly ball to medium center, but Sizemore threw him out at home. Ichiro Suzuki scored on Raul Ibanez’s grounder in the first.