Mariners can’t hang on

BALTIMORE – For eight innings Sunday, Felix Hernandez dominated the Baltimore Orioles. He blew fastballs past them, fooled them with change-ups and worked both sides of the plate with uncanny precision.

Unfortunately, after throwing 97 brilliant pitches, Seattle’s young right-hander didn’t have enough energy left to get three more outs. So when the bottom of the ninth started with Hernandez in the Mariners dugout, the Orioles were absolutely delighted.

“How happy was I? Extremely,” said Aubrey Huff, who had an RBI during a three-run rally that provided Baltimore with a 3-2 victory. “Once he came out, I knew we had a chance.”

Especially against a bullpen without injured closer J.J. Putz.

Hernandez gave up five hits, struck out six, walked two and left with a 2-0 lead. Mariners manager John McLaren and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre discussed the possibility of sending him back out in the ninth, but decided against it.

“Mel told me Felix said he wasn’t 100 percent,” McLaren said. “So I made a change.”

Nick Markakis led off the ninth with a double off Eric O’Flaherty and scored on a groundout by Huff, leaving the bases empty with two outs. After Luke Scott singled, Mark Lowe entered for Seattle and gave up a single to Jay Payton to put runners at the corners.

Lowe (0-1) threw a wild pitch to Ramon Hernandez to complete a walk and allow the tying run to score. Luis Hernandez followed with his first hit of the season, a liner to the gap in left center. Payton scored without a throw. Game over.

“It was a great game for our team,” said Baltimore manager Dave Trembley.

The Orioles were 4-87 when trailing after eight innings last year, and were 13-31 in one-run games. But after one week of the 2008 season, they stand alone in first place in the A.L. East.

Scott had his second straight three-hit game, starter Jeremy Guthrie allowed two runs in seven innings and Dennis Sarfate (1-0) pitched a perfect ninth for the Orioles, who are 3-0 against the Mariners after going 2-7 against them last year.

Felix Hernandez was moved up a day in the Seattle rotation after former Oriole Erik Bedard was scratched due to inflammation of the left hip. Bedard is expected to pitch Tuesday in Tampa, the Mariners said.

Pitching on a bitter cold afternoon, Hernandez was just short of brilliant.

“Felix did a great job,” McLaren said. “We just couldn’t hang on.”

Hernandez has not allowed an earned run in 15 innings, but remains winless. He did, however, earn the respect of the Orioles.

“That guy was dirty. That’s the best I’ve ever seen him throw,” Payton said. “I don’t know that anybody could throw much better than he threw today.”

Raul Ibanez went 3 for 4 with a homer and Richie Sexson doubled in a run for the Mariners. Ichiro Suzuki went 1 for 4 to move within two hits of 1,600 for his career.

Seattle went up 1-0 in the third when Suzuki singled and scored on Sexson’s two-out liner into the left-field corner.

Ibanez led off the sixth with his first home run, a drive to right. He came in batting .167, but also had a pair of singles in his first multihit game of the year.