Beltre’s blast lifts M’s
CLEVELAND – Adrian Beltre’s tiebreaking three-run homer and Seattle’s five-run ninth inning Tuesday night didn’t quite satisfy manager John McLaren.
He expects much more from the Mariners’ offense.
“We’re getting impatient around here,” McLaren said. “We need to step up. Tonight they did, but we need some more. We’ve given them a month and there are options we can turn to. I hate to say that on a good game, but we’ve got to get some guys going.”
Beltre broke a 2-2 tie and Yuniesky Betancourt added a two-run single as Seattle tied a season high with 15 hits in a 7-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians.
“It wasn’t a very good night,” said Cleveland manager Eric Wedge, who expressed his displeasure at his club’s offense. The Indians have scored two or fewer runs in four of their last six games, including three straight losses.
“We didn’t have a whole lot going on,” Wedge said. “We can’t be afraid, have to stick our nose in there with two outs, and we’re not even close to doing that.”
The Mariners got untracked in the ninth, sending 11 men to bat and getting six hits and five runs.
Jose Lopez singled off Rafael Betancourt (1-1) to start the rally and took second on a soft single by Raul Ibanez. Beltre then hit a 0-1 pitch the opposite way to right for his fifth homer and a 5-2 lead.
“It was a fastball away and it felt really good to hit it out,” Beltre said. “I’m not quite there yet, the team isn’t either, but we’re not as bad as some people think. I don’t see why we should panic. It’s only been 25 games.”
Mark Lowe (1-1) pitched 11/3 innings for the win. He came on to strike out Jhonny Peralta and end the eighth after Cleveland tied it 2-2 on an RBI groundout by Travis Hafner.
Indians center fielder Grady Sizemore had two doubles and scored twice in his return after missing two games with a sprained right ankle. Sizemore scored on a first-inning double by David Dellucci and drew a leadoff walk against Seattle starter Carlos Silva to start Cleveland’s tying rally in the eighth.
Jose Vidro had a pair of RBI doubles off Indians starter Fausto Carmona. Vidro’s looping double to left scored Ibanez in the third, tying it at 1. Ibanez had reached when his two-out grounder was misplayed by second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera for an error.
Vidro’s two-out double made it 2-1 in the fifth.
Carmona allowed one earned run and eight hits over 62/3 innings. The right-hander, who went 19-8 with a 3.06 ERA a year ago, walked four, including Beltre three times.
“Walks are good,” Beltre said, “especially off such a good pitcher. I was getting on base and giving my teammates a chance. That’s OK.”
Silva, trying to become the first Seattle starter to open 4-0 since Jamie Moyer in 2005, took a 2-1 lead into the eighth. The right-hander, signed to a four-year, $48 million contract in December, gave up two runs and seven hits over seven-plus innings.
Assistant trainer Rob Nodine went to the mound to check on Silva as he warmed up to start the eighth. The 29-year-old, who had left his previous start in Baltimore in the seventh inning with tightness in his right thigh, stayed in the game.
“We saw Carlos flip his arm around in a circle and we wanted to make sure he was OK,” McLaren said.
Silva said he had no problems: “I felt fine all the way. It didn’t even feel cold.”
The first-pitch temperature was 47 degrees and a light drizzle fell for a few innings – almost balmy conditions compared to the Mariners’ trip to town last April, when the four-game series was snowed out.
McLaren, wearing a windbreaker during pregame practice, glanced at the overcast sky and said wryly, “Looks like the snow is coming.”
McLaren said last year’s postponements played havoc with the Mariners all season: “It seemed like every off day, we got on a charter plane to go play in Cleveland.”
The Mariners came back to Cleveland for single games on May 21, June 11 and Aug. 30, and played a unique doubleheader at Seattle’s Safeco Field in September with the Indians the home team for one game.
Notes
Wedge benched first baseman Ryan Garko, who is in a 0-for-23 slump. … Hafner went 0 for 4 and is hitting .137 (7 for 51) over his last 14 games. … Vidro has a team-leading seven multi-RBI games. … Beltre’s four previous homers this season were solo shots.