Home run derby

SEATTLE – With another big early lead and an All-Star pitcher on the mound, the Mariners seemed to have things right where they needed them to be Tuesday night.

Until, that is, Hisashi Iwakuma reverted back to early 2012 form and the balls began leaving the park at an alarming rate. Before the Mariners could blink, Iwakuma was out of the game and they were headed to an 11-8 loss to the Boston Red Sox that seemed like a solar-plexus shot to any momentum built up the past several days.

By the time the onslaught of Seattle pitching was done, the Red Sox had pounded five home runs off the bats of David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Mike Napoli, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Shane Victorino. The Mariners countered with a pair of home runs by Kendrys Morales, but it wasn’t enough to spare them and 21,072 fans at Safeco Field from Iwakuma’s latest long-ball adventures.

Iwakuma served up three of the homers in just three innings and has allowed 10 his last four outings. He’d given up just 10 all season to that point in piling up some impressive totals by early June that served as his All-Star springboard.

Ortiz enjoyed a four-hit night and his single in the eighth off Charlie Furbush was his 1,688th hit as a designated hitter, tying Harold Baines for the all-time mark.

The Mariners had picked right up from their 11-run outburst Monday night when Morales took rookie Allen Webster over the wall in left-center for a two-run homer in the first inning. Ortiz responded with a solo shot off Iwakuma in the second to make it a 2-1 game, but the Mariners roared right back with three more runs in the bottom of the frame on a bases-clearing double by Brad Miller.

Staked to the early 5-1 lead, Iwakuma and company seemed poised to win their second straight and sixth in their last eight contests. But it was not to be, as the Red Sox erupted for a five-spot off Iwakuma in the third.

Pedroia got the Red Sox right back in it with a two-run homer to left off Iwakuma to cut Seattle’s lead to 5-3. Ortiz then drilled a double to the gap in right center and Napoli tied the game 5-5 moments later by golfing a ball into the stands.

The carnage didn’t stop there as Jarrod Saltalamacchia promptly blasted a ground-rule double and then Iwakuma uncorked a wild pitch on a strikeout to put runners at the corners.

Brock Holt hit a sacrifice fly from there and Boston had a 6-5 lead.

Iwakuma managed to finish the inning, but his night was done. He yielded six earned runs on eight hits in just the three innings, which sent his earned-run average from 2.60 to 2.97.

Since his last victory a month ago, Iwakuma’s ERA has shot up more than a full run from a season-best 1.79.

Morales got his pitcher off the hook for a loss in the bottom of the frame with his second home run of the night to tie it back up 6-6.

Seattle then added another run to take a 7-6 lead when Kyle Seager hit a single and scored all the way from first base on a one-out Michael Saunders triple to the right field corner.

Mike Zunino and Dustin Ackley grounded out to end the threat and the Mariners gave the lead right back in the top of the fourth. Blake Beavan replaced Iwakuma in his first game action in nine days and the rust showed as he hit Daniel Nava with an 0-2 pitch, walked the next batter, then yielded a single to right by Pedroia that tied it 7-7.

Hultzen shut down

Mariners pitching prospect Danny Hultzen has been shut down for 10 days and then will have his throwing regimen and mechanics adjusted.

Hultzen hasn’t pitched since a June 27 outing for Class AAA Tacoma. He’d already been sidelined for two months because of a previous shoulder problem and was feeling discomfort in the same area when the Mariners made this latest decision to place him on the disabled list.