Sexson slams Devil Rays

SEATTLE – Richie Sexson hit his fourth grand slam of the season in the 10th inning to give the Seattle Mariners a 5-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Tuesday night.

Ichiro Suzuki, who was in a 3-for-22 slide, opened the 10th with a double down the left-field line off Shawn Camp (4-1).

Seth McClung relieved and Jose Lopez sacrificed Ichiro to third. After Adrian Beltre and Raul Ibanez were intentionally walked to load the bases, Sexson unloaded them with a drive to center field.

It was Sexson’s 25th home run of the season and 13th career grand slam.

Julio Mateo (8-4), who worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings, picked up his second win in as many nights.

Both starters were efficient and effective. Tampa Bay’s Jae Seo went seven-plus innings, allowing five hits with one walk and five strikeouts. He threw 93 pitches.

Mariners right-hander Felix Hernandez allowed five hits and a run in eight innings with five strikeouts.

Seo contained the Mariners on just four hits and no runs through six innings, but he and catcher Dioner Navarro gave up a gift run.

Seo struck out Ben Broussard to open the seventh, but his third strike was wild in the dirt. Navarro, who came along with Seo to Tampa Bay in a five-player trade with Los Angeles, allowed the ball to escape up the third-base line far enough that Broussard reached first. Broussard kept going and raced to second on Navarro’s throwing error.

Kenji Johjima followed with a RBI single down the left-field line to tie it at 1-1.

The Devil Rays scored their run in the third on what may have been a fortunate mistake.

Russell Branyan opened with a single and Ben Zobrist walked. Despite a swing and miss by Rocco Baldelli on an apparent hit-and-run, both runners converted a double steal. They were the season’s first stolen bases for both runners. Baldelli followed with an infield groundout, scoring Branyan.

Fine-fielding slugger

Sexson’s name isn’t likely to be mentioned among the best fielding first basemen in the game, but it’s right there at the top of the statistics.

Sexson’s .997 fielding percentage ties him for first in the American League with Paul Konerko of the Chicago White Sox, Travis Lee of the Devil Rays and Mark Teixeira of the Texas Rangers.

“I hope talking about it doesn’t jinx me like talking about a no-hitter,” Sexson said. “But I’ve always tried not to be just a hitter.”