Mariners rally past Red Sox

SEATTLE – Jose Lopez lined a single past diving third baseman Mike Lowell to score Wladimir Balentien with the game-winning run and the Seattle Mariners beat the Boston Red Sox 4-3 on Tuesday night to end a season-high seven-game losing streak.

The Mariners overcame Manny Ramirez’s 499th career home run.

The ninth inning began with a one-hopper by Balentien that went off the backhanded glove of Alex Cora for an infield single to deep shortstop. Miguel Cairo then sacrificed Balentien to second. Pinch-hitter Jeremy Reed sent Balentien to third base with a ground out and Mike Timlin intentionally walked Ichiro Suzuki before Lopez lined a 1-2 pitch – and then got mobbed near second base by teammates who hadn’t had something to celebrate for most of a dreadful May.

J.J. Putz (2-2) pitched a scoreless top of the ninth for the Mariners, who won for just the sixth time in 26 games.

Timlin (2-3), a former Mariner, is now 0-6 in 15 appearances at Safeco Field.

Ramirez hit a three-run drive that tied the game at 3 in the sixth off starter Miguel Batista. Ramirez quickly dropped his bat and stood spitting and admiring the opposite-field drive. He then pointing the index finger of his right hand toward the blue twilight sky as the ball sailed six rows into the right-field bleachers. About half of the crowd of 30,758 roared as if Safeco Field was Fenway Park.

The inning began with shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt dropping a routine ground ball by Dustin Pedroia. David Ortiz then singled off Batista, who allowed three runs and five hits in seven-plus innings. He struck out two and walked three.

Daisuke Matsuzaka was in the clubhouse when Ramirez hit his home run. The right-hander left the game before the bottom of the fifth, ending his first chance to join Josh Beckett as the second Boston pitcher since 1971 to begin a season 9-0.

The 11th Red Sox pitcher to win his first eight decisions in a season allowed three runs – two on fielder’s choice groundouts and a third on a double in the first inning by Raul Ibanez – on four hits through four innings. Then, after two seemingly routine warm-up pitches before the bottom of the fifth, he appeared to briefly grab his lower back. Manager Terry Francona, an interpreter and a trainer came out to the mound. A moment later, Francona summoned David Aardsma from the bullpen.

Francona and shortstop Julio Lugo were ejected moments later, each for the first time this season. Lugo apparently shouted something at third-base umpire Angel Hernandez because Hernandez ruled in favor of Seattle’s Raul Ibanez on an appeal of a check swing. Francona came out to separate his player from the smirking, gum-chomping umpire – then got tossed, too, while pointing an index finger at Hernandez.

Suzuki had two hits and his 22nd stolen base off Matsuzaka – doubling Suzuki’s hit production against his countryman last season. Suzuki went 1 for 12 against Matsuzaka in four games in 2007. He went 8 for 34 (.235) in 1999 and 2000, when Matsuzaka was a teenager with Seibu and Suzuki was with Orix in Japan’s Pacific League.

Notes

First baseman Kevin Youkilis, one of five Red Sox players leading early voting for the All-Star game, missed a second consecutive start with a sore right hand. He said X-rays Monday showed “nothing.” He is day to day. Sean Casey started for him and had three singles. … Mariners 1B Richie Sexson, batting .200, watched seldom-used Cairo start for him. “There’s no one trying harder than Richie,” manager John McLaren said.