Mariners win again; Tigers lose player, too

DETROIT – The Detroit Tigers clubhouse was somber and filled with awkward silence.

The Tigers didn’t just drop another game, they lost a teammate as well.

Kenji Johjima’s RBI single in the 10th inning put the Seattle Mariners ahead and J.J. Putz collected his 31st save in 36 chances in a 5-4 win over the slumping Tigers on Wednesday.

After the game, Detroit designated hitter Dmitri Young was cut in a move that shocked his teammates.

“It’s a business, I guess,” said first baseman Sean Casey, whose locker was next to Young’s. “Dmitri is a great guy and a great player. Any time you lose a player like that. … I really don’t know what to say to tell you the truth.”

If the Tigers don’t turn it around, the truth could include the loss of their once-huge lead in the American League Central.

Detroit still has the best record in the A.L. but has lost 19 of 28 games. What had been a 10-game lead in the Central a month ago has shrunk to four games – a cushion Detroit could lose this weekend.

The Tigers begin a four-game series tonight against second-place Minnesota.

“Do we have pressure on us? Yeah, we do,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. “But in my opinion, we have less pressure than Minnesota, the White Sox and some of the teams that were supposed to win. We were supposed to get better.”

Young appeared to be getting better after leaving the team in May – hitting .169 – to get help at a substance-abuse center in California. Since being activated from the disabled list July 21, Young was hitting .292 with seven homers and 19 RBIs. His batting average was .250 in 48 games this season, his fifth in Detroit. Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski insisted the move was “strictly performance related.”

After Johjima’s bloop single, Joel Zumaya (6-3) prevented further damage by getting out of a bases-loaded jam with two strikeouts and a flyout.

Putz pitched the 10th, getting Casey to hit into a game-ending double play to preserve Seattle’s ninth win in 13 games.

Detroit erased a three-run deficit in the eighth before the game was delayed 3 hours, 9 minutes by rain and lightning.

Notes

Mariners outfielder Raul Ibañez has been nominated for Major League Baseball’s prestigious Roberto Clemente Award that recognizes outstanding baseball skills and devotion to work in the community. … Seattle manager Mike Hargrove said Joel Pineiro, who worked 3 2/3 innings of perfect relief Tuesday, will not be considered for a spot in the rotation.