Hargrove, M’s turn things around

SEATTLE – It took a lineup turned upside-down by manager Mike Hargrove, but the Seattle Mariners flipped themselves rightside-up Saturday night in the most unlikely way.

They owned a future Hall of Famer.

The Mariners were a much different offense against veteran right-hander Greg Maddux, playing without first baseman Richie Sexson (benched for a day, maybe longer, with his .162 average), shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt (day off) and left fielder Raul Ibanez (sore back).

They were more than Maddux could handle in a 7-4 victory over the San Diego Padres at Safeco Field.

The Mariners’ juggled lineup – with Ben Broussard starting at first, Willie Bloomquist at shortstop and Jason Ellison in left field – hit Maddux like they knew what was coming.

They jumped on pitches early in the count and made hard contact on nearly everything they hit, scoring twice in the first inning, three times in the second, once in the third and once in the fourth.

In the shortest of Maddux’s nine starts this season, he lasted 3 2/3 innings and allowed seven runs on 12 hits.

“It looked like Greg was up in the middle of the (strike) zone with his pitches,” Hargrove said. “When you do that, you get hit.”

The Mariners had 14 hits with Jose Guillen moving into Ibanez’s No. 3 spot in the order and Broussard hitting cleanup, where Sexson has floundered.

Hargrove wouldn’t say if he’d stick with that alignment in today’s homestand finale, although he said before the game that Sexson’s time off could extend beyond one game.

“We got 14 hits tonight and played good defense,” Hargrove said. “They did a good job.”

Jose Vidro, a career .318 hitter off Maddux, singled in his first two at-bats and scored twice; Guillen hit a two-run homer his first at-bat and a two-run double in the second inning; and Broussard singled in two of his three at-bats against Maddux.

Guillen now has 22 RBIs, second on the team to Ibanez, and is one of four Mariners with five home runs.

“He missed almost all of last year with the Tommy John surgery and didn’t have that many at-bats,” Hargrove said of Guillen. “It takes time to get your feet back and get used to playing baseball at this level. But he’s slowly but surely coming around and he hit the ball hard twice tonight.”

So did third baseman Adrian Beltre, especially in the third inning when he hit a solo home run, his team-high sixth. Ichiro Suzuki single-handedly produced the Mariners’ seventh run in the fourth inning when he singled, stole both second and third, then scored on catcher Rob Bowen’s wild throw.

Broussard’s two-out single in the fourth forced the Padres into their bullpen and ended Maddux’s night. It also halted the Mariners’ offense, which had just two infield hits and three baserunners in the next 4 1/3 innings off Padres relievers Justin Hampson and Cla Meredith.

By then, the Mariners’ lead seemed safe with starter, Horacio Ramirez, a former teammate of Maddux with the Braves in 2003. He allowed allowed seven hits and three runs in six innings.

Mariners 7, Padres 4

a-struck out for Bowen in the 9th. E—Bowen (3). LOB—San Diego 8, Seattle 6. 2B—KGreene (14), Kouzmanoff 2 (7), JGuillen (9). HR—KGreene (6), off HoRamirez; Beltre (6), off Maddux; JGuillen (5), off Maddux. RBIs—MGiles (17), JoCruz (13), KGreene (23), Kouzmanoff (15), Vidro (11), JGuillen 4 (22), Beltre (21). SB—ISuzuki 2 (11). GIDP—BGiles, Bloomquist. RLISP—San Diego 4 (JoCruz, BGiles, Blum 2); Seattle 4 (ISuzuki, JoLopez 2, Ellison). RMU—Johjima, Bloomquist. DP—San Diego 1 (Kouzmanoff, MGiles and AdGonzalez); Seattle 2 (JoLopez, Bloomquist and Broussard), (JoLopez and Bloomquist).

IR-S—Hampson 1-0, Sherrill 2-0. PB—Johjima. T—2:41. A—34,287 (47,447).