Johjima, Ibanez power M’s
SAN DIEGO – Kenji Johjima and Raul Ibanez each hit a pair of solo home runs and Jamie Moyer threw seven solid innings and had an RBI single as the Seattle Mariners beat the San Diego Padres 9-5 Saturday night.
Both of Johjima’s homers, his seventh and eighth, came off Chan Ho Park (5-4) on first pitches and highlighted two-run innings in the fourth and fifth. Johjima added a two-run double in the ninth for a career high four RBIs.
Ibanez homered off Park in the fifth, and added his 16th of the season off reliever Brian Sikorski in the seventh.
Moyer (5-6), the 43-year-old left-hander who is 16-7 in interleague play, allowed two runs and four hits.
The teams combined for eight home runs – four by each team – to set a Petco Park record.
Pinch-hitter Eric Young and Mike Cameron hit back-to-back home runs off Mariners reliever Eddie Guardado in the eighth to pull San Diego to 6-4.
Seattle added three runs in the ninth on Richie Sexson’s RBI single and Johjima’s double.
The Padres opened the bottom of the ninth with four straight singles off J.J. Putz, the last by Josh Barfield to make it 9-5. However, Putz then struck out Josh Bard, Mike Cameron and Ben Johnson with the bases loaded to end the game.
The Mariners snapped the 1-1 tie with two runs in the top of the fourth. Johjima hit his seventh home run off Park with one out. Jeremy Reed drew a walk following the homer and moved to second on a groundout by Yuniesky Betancourt. Reed then scored on a two-out single to right by Moyer. It was Moyer’s first hit and RBI since June 8, 2004 at Pittsburgh.
The Mariners made it 5-1 in the fifth when Ibanez hit his 15th home run, a 412-foot shot into the Padres bullpen in center and Johjima followed one out later with his second of the night into the left-field bleachers.
Four of Johjima’s eight home runs have come against the Padres. It was the rookie’s first multiple homer game.
Johnson hit his first home run of the season leading off the sixth making it 5-2 before Ibanez hit his second homer of the night in the seventh. It was Ibanez’s fifth multihomer game and first since April 20,2004 against Oakland.
The Padres took a 1-0 lead in the second when Mike Piazza hit his 10th home run of the season, a 401-foot blast into the third deck of the Western Metals Supply Co. building in left.
The Mariners got even in the top of the third with the help of a throwing error by San Diego shortstop Khalil Greene.
Adrian Beltre doubled to left with two outs. Jose Lopez hit a hot shot to deep in the hole at shortstop. Greene fielded the ball on the outfield grass and came up throwing. But his throw bounced past first baseman Adrian Gonzalez as Beltre came around to score.
Notes
Mike Piazza has 407 career homers, tying him for 40th on the all-time list with Duke Snider. … The last time a Mariners pitcher had a hit and an RBI in the same game was Gil Meche on June 24th last year against the Padres at Petco Park. … First baseman Mike Sexson went 1 for 5 and is 2 for 20 against the Padres this season. … Moyer has pitched into the sixth inning in 15 of his 16 starts. … Park is 0-2 with a 12.20 ERA in two games against the Mariners this year.