Mariners rally past Orioles
SEATTLE – Ichiro Suzuki highlighted a four-run, two-out rally in the eighth inning with an RBI double, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Baltimore Orioles 7-4 on Monday.
The rally began with successive two-out singles by Yuniesky Betancourt and Willie Bloomquist. Jose Vidro, who wasn’t expected to play because of a bruised finger, drove in the tying run on a pinch-hit infield single off John Parrish.
Suzuki then sliced his double into the left-field corner to score Bloomquist. Jose Lopez added the final two runs with a double into the right-field corner, as the Mariners sent nine batters to the plate.
Chad Bradford (0-2) took the loss, yielding two runs on two hits in 2/3 of an inning.
George Sherrill (2-0) retired two batters in the eighth to pick up the win. J.J. Putz pitched the ninth for his 14th save in 14 chances.
Brian Roberts, hitting .459 (17 of 37) over his past 10 games, had three doubles and scored a run for the Orioles. Nick Markakis had a pair of RBI singles.
Erik Bedard went six innings, allowing three runs and eight hits. Six of Bedard’s last eight starts have been no-decisions.
The Orioles struck quickly against Felix Hernandez. Roberts opened with his first of three doubles, one of two that hopped into the left-center seats. A sacrifice bunt by Jay Payton advanced Roberts to third and Markakis collected his team-leading 35th RBI with a sharp single to left.
Suzuki tied it with a bolt into the right-center seats on Bedard’s first pitch. It was Suzuki’s 25th career leadoff home run, tying him with Brian Downing for 14th on the career list.
Aubrey Huff started the Orioles’ three-run second inning with a double. Melvin Mora sent Huff to third with a single to right, and Ramon Hernandez’s sacrifice fly made it 2-1. Payton had an RBI on a fielder’s choice and Markakis followed with an RBI single to right.
The Mariners scored one in the second on Bloomquist’s RBI single and another in the third on Kenji Johjima’s two-out double to make it 4-3.
The Mariners threatened in the fourth with runners on first and third and one out, but Bedard struck out Lopez and Jose Guillen to end it.
Notes
Hernandez did not give up a run in his first two starts (17 innings). But since injuring his right elbow on April 18, he has given up 21 earned runs in 26 innings. … Suzuki, who had three hits hit in five at-bats, has a career .376 average against the Orioles. … The eight hits allowed by Bedard were the most since Opening Day when he gave up 10. … Brian Roberts’ three doubles gives him 144 since the beginning of the 2004 season, third most behind Colorado’s Todd Helton (148) and Toronto’s Lyle Overbay (148).