Mariners survive rocky start, rally for victory

SEATTLE – Ichiro Suzuki lined a two-out, two-run homer to right field in the sixth inning, capping the Seattle Mariners rally from a five-run deficit for an 8-7 win over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday night.

Facing reliever David Cortes, Ichiro worked the count full, then hit a fastball from the right-hander an estimated 372 feet into the frenzied crowd in right. It was Ichiro’s fifth homer of the season and the first runs allowed by Cortes in his last five appearances.

Seattle’s bullpen pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings to make up for another shaky performance from starter Joel Pineiro. Lefty Jake Woods pitched 2 2/3 innings, allowing just three hits. Julio Mateo took over with one out in the sixth and pitched out of a bases loaded jam, getting a pop up from Garrett Atkins and a fly out from Brad Hawpe.

Mateo retired all six batters he faced. George Sherill got the final two outs of the eighth inning, and J.J. Putz pitched a perfect ninth for his 15th save in 16 chances.

Raul Ibanez and Carl Everett both hit two-run homers off Colorado starter Byung-Hyun Kim, who allowed six runs and seven hits and didn’t make it out of the fifth inning.

Ichiro finished a triple short of the cycle, doubling in the first and singling in the fifth. Richie Sexson had two hits and his two-out RBI single in the fifth pulled Seattle within 7-6.

The Mariners improved to 14-3 in interleague play.

Jamey Carroll finished with three hits for the Rockies, but was robbed of a homer leading off the game, when Ibanez climbed the wall in left and snagged Carroll’s drive. Ibanez looked in his glove coming off the wall to make sure the ball remained in the webbing.

Yorvit Torrealba hit his second homer of the season off Pineiro in the third, a two-run shot. Hawpe added a pair of doubles for the Rockies, who scored all seven of their runs with two outs.

Colorado scored five times in the second on run-scoring singles from Clint Barmes, Carroll, Cody Sullivan and Matt Holliday. Ichiro nearly threw out Barmes and Sullivan at the plate, but both made athletic slides to avoid the tag of catcher Kenji Johjima.

Pineiro’s inconsistency continued, but Seattle’s offense kept the right-hander from losing for the third time in his last four starts. Pineiro allowed nine hits and a season-high seven earned runs, and has allowed at least six hits in each of his last 10 starts.

It was Pineiro’s shortest start since Aug. 6, 2003, when he lasted just 2 2/3 innings against Cleveland.