Guthrie, Orioles mow down punchless Mariners
Righty tosses first career complete game
SEATTLE – Jeremy Guthrie retired 26 of the final 28 batters he faced in his first career complete game, allowing just four hits in the Baltimore Orioles’ 3-1 win over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday night.
Guthrie (8-8) overcame a rocky start to win for the sixth time in his last seven decisions, tossing the Orioles’ third complete game this season. His previous career best was 81/3 innings against Boston last year.
Guthrie allowed one-out doubles to Jeremy Reed and Raul Ibanez in the first and walked Adrian Beltre before settling into a groove. He set down 22 of the next 23 batters after Beltre reached, taking advantage of Seattle’s impatience at the plate.
Guthrie threw 24 pitches in the first inning then tossed just 81 over the next eight innings. Jay Payton finished the game with a leaping catch of Jose Lopez’s drive against the left-field wall.
Lopez went 0 for 4, ending his 19-game hitting streak.
Aubrey Huff extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a pair of singles, including a two-out base hit in the seventh that scored Adam Jones and gave Guthrie a little cushion. Jones, traded from Seattle to Baltimore in the Erik Bedard deal, had three hits and scored twice.
Melvin Mora had an RBI double in the first inning and Ramon Hernandez singled in a run in the fourth for the Orioles, who have won five of six.
Felix Hernandez (7-7) was fortunate to last five innings for Seattle, giving up just two runs. He allowed at least one runner to reach second in four of his five innings and went to a three-ball count on eight of the 25 batters he faced. Hernandez also escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the fifth, striking out Mora and coaxing Luke Scott into an inning-ending groundout.
Hernandez allowed eight hits, losing for just the second time since May 26.
M’s call up Woods
The Mariners purchased the contract of left-hander Jake Woods from Triple-A Tacoma, filling a void in their bullpen created when the team traded Arthur Rhodes to the Florida Marlins on Thursday.
Woods appeared in 32 games at Tacoma this season, going 6-1 with a 4.08 ERA.