Narrow loss shadows M’s

SEATTLE – An old nemesis crept across Safeco Field on Thursday and helped shut down the Seattle Mariners in a 6-5 loss to the Minnesota Twins.

There was Johan Santana, of course, but also something else that has been just as devious – The Shadow.

Remember when the stadium first opened in 1999 and those sun-drenched late-afternoon starts turned hitters’ knees to rubber because they couldn’t see the pitches? The Mariners have all but stopped scheduling those games, although Thursday’s was the last of two 3:35 p.m. starts this season.

It was a sunny day and, as the dark shadow moved across the field in the middle innings, the art of hitting turned into guesswork. Against Santana, that’s a horrible combination.

“A couple of guys on their team asked me during the game, ‘Hey, what is it with this place?’ ” said Mariners left fielder Raul Ibanez. “It was tough. And when you face Johan, his history is that he gets stronger as the game progresses.”

While Santana held the Mariners to four hits and one earned run in seven innings, the Twins didn’t do much with the hits they managed through six. So they tried a different approach in the seventh.

They bunted.

The Twins laid down three straight bunts – a perfect roller up the third-base line by Jason Bartlett and a well-placed bouncer between the mound and first base by Alexi Castilla, then a sacrifice by Nick Punto – to put runners on second third with one out.

Then, with their vision apparently clear, they swung away to record a third straight win over the Mariners.

Michael Cuddyer hit a two-run double and Mike Redmond a two-run single off Mariners reliever Julio Mateo as the Twins scored five times in the seventh to overcome a 2-1 deficit.

Mateo took over for starter Jarrod Washburn, who’d limited the Twins to six hits and one run.

“Jarrod’s pitch count was in the 90s and he’d pitched three tough innings. Those take a lot out of you,” manager Mike Hargrove said.

Cuddyer launched a double off the base of the left-field wall. Mateo intentionally walked Justin Morneau before Redmond fisted a bloop single down the right-field line. Josh Rube’s infield hit drove in the fifth run of the inning, making the score 6-2.

Ichiro Suzuki hit a one-out single off Twins reliever Pat Neshek, who got Adrian Beltre on a popup for the second out but walked Jose Vidro.

Neshek got two quick strikes on Ibanez, who then fouled off several pitches before he got a fastball he could crush, hitting it into the seats in right-center field for a three-run homer to pull the Mariners within a run.

The Twins brought in closer Joe Nathan, Richie Sexson pushed a double to right-center and, with the tying run on second, Nathan struck out Jose Guillen to end the game.