Orioles fly past Mariners
SEATTLE – Ramon Hernandez hit a grand slam and a three-run homer, and the Baltimore Orioles broke loose for nine runs in the ninth inning to beat the Seattle Mariners 14-4 Tuesday night and end a nine-game road losing streak.
Corey Patterson also homered and doubled twice to back emergency starter John Halama, who filled in after rookie Hayden Penn had an appendectomy.
Halama (3-1) allowed four hits and two runs over five innings in his first start since Sept. 7. The 34-year-old left-hander, a former Mariner, earned his first win as a starter since Oct. 3, 2004, with Tampa Bay at Detroit.
Seattle’s season-high four-game winning streak was snapped.
Hernandez matched his career high with seven RBIs, accomplished twice before. It was his fourth career two-homer game.
He hit a three-run shot in the first off Mariners starter Joel Pineiro. Hernandez’s grand slam off Jake Woods capped Baltimore’s big ninth.
It was Hernandez’s fourth career slam and first since Sept. 27, 2005, with San Diego against San Francisco. He had seven RBIs in that game, as well as on Aug. 9, 2003, with Oakland at the Chicago White Sox.
Nick Markakis had an RBI double off J.J. Putz earlier in the inning for his third hit. Kevin Millar, Brandon Fahey and Javy Lopez had RBI singles.
Chris Ray got four outs – the first by striking out pinch-hitter Jeremy Reed with the potential tying run on third in the eighth inning – for his 11th save in 11 chances.
Pineiro’s third consecutive poor start ended after five innings. He allowed 10 hits and five earned runs.
Pineiro (4-5) has allowed at least five earned runs in each of his last three starts – and five times in 10 starts overall.
Patterson scored three times, walked twice and reached safely in all six plate appearances.
Markakis singled in Patterson in the first to give the Orioles a 4-0 lead. Patterson’s solo shot in the fifth made it 5-2.
Adam Loewen, who arrived from Double-A Bowie eight hours before the game, relieved Halama to begin the sixth. His first major league pitch skidded to the backstop. But he rallied to freeze cleanup batter Richie Sexson as strike three crossed the inside corner.
But then Loewen walked Carl Everett and hit Adrian Beltre with a pitch. Kenji Johjima followed with a single that pulled Seattle to 5-3.
Todd Williams relieved. Though he hit Willie Bloomquist with his second pitch to load the bases, Williams struck out Yuniesky Betancourt and Ichiro Suzuki to end the inning.
LaTroy Hawkins entered in the eighth and gave up an RBI triple to Adrian Beltre that made it 5-4. But Johjima and pinch-hitter Roberto Petagine both popped out before Ray fanned Reed to end the threat.
Notes
Orioles right fielder Jay Gibbons missed the game after the death of his mother in Southern California Tuesday morning. The team is not sure whether Gibbons will go on the bereavement list. Manager Sam Perlozzo said Gibbons told him late Tuesday afternoon he will try to play today. … Ichiro had two hits to extend his hitting streak to 17 games, longest in the American League this season.