Mariners take more baby steps
SEATTLE – There’s little about the month of May that the Seattle Mariners want to carry over into June, except for whatever they have figured out the past three days.
Richie Sexson homered and drove in three runs, Jamie Moyer pitched six solid innings and passed Randy Johnson’s team record for victories, and the Mariners beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 Monday night at Safeco Field.
The M’s have a streak going.
They’ve won three straight for the first time since a sweep over the Royals last month in Kansas City.
Monday, in their 50th game, the Mariners rode Sexson’s big bat and Moyer’s stout pitching early, then survived a hold-your-breath finish by the bullpen that turned a three-run lead into one.
“You learn how to win just like you learn how to do anything else,” manager Mike Hargrove said. “It would be easier on everyone’s nerves if we had a little more cushion.”
On this team? Yeah, sure.
Sexson gave the Mariners a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning with his 13th home run this season, a two-run blast that reached the upper deck in left field, 428 feet from the plate.
Jeremy Reed followed with an RBI single for a 3-0 lead, and Sexson added a run-scoring single to center in the next inning for the Mariners’ fourth run.
Sexson, hitting .255, remains among the top half-dozen in the league in home runs and is third with 42 RBIs.
“There are other ways to produce runs than having a high batting average,” Hargrove said. “If Richie can continue to produce runs the way he’s producing runs, we’re satisfied with that. He doesn’t have to hit .350.”
Moyer cruised through four innings, allowing only John McDonald’s two-out single in the third and a walk to Shea Hillenbrand in the fourth.
The Blue Jays nicked Moyer in the fifth after Eric Hinske led off with a single. Greg Zaun also singled to put runners on first and third with one out and McDonald hit a sacrifice fly for the Jays’ first run.
Moyer escaped a leadoff single to Alexis Rios and a walk to Vernon Wells and pitched a scoreless sixth, although it pushed his pitch count – 98 – to the point that manager Mike Hargrove was forced to use the bullpen.
Julio Mateo, who struggled in his previous outing at Tampa Bay, did again, allowing two solo home runs. J.J. Putz and Matt Thornton followed, keeping the Blue Jays in check.
Closer Eddie Guardado, appearing in the 700th game of his career, finished off the Blue Jays with a perfect ninth for his 14th save.
It finished Moyer’s 131st victory for the Mariners, giving him a 131-70 record with the team. Johnson was 130-74.