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  Sunday, Jun. 4 4:35pm ET
A-Rod, Mariners topple Padres
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME LOG

SEATTLE (AP) -- With the spectacular catch Stan Javier made, Seattle manager Lou Piniella had no trouble finding which aspect of his team's game to credit for the win.

Stan Javier
Seattle's Stan Javier robbed Phil Nevin of a homer in the seventh inning, and then caught the ball in the field of play.
Alex Rodriguez tripled, doubled and drove in two runs as the Seattle Mariners, helped by a highlight catch by Javier, beat the San Diego Padres 6-4 on Sunday.

"Defense won this game," said Mariners manager Lou Piniella. "I won't talk about the offense, but the defense was outstanding."

Seattle only managed five hits in the game.

Rodriguez also scored twice to extend his AL-leading total to 55 runs scored for the Mariners, who were helped by right fielder Javier's home-run saving grab in the seventh inning.

With two outs and one on, Phil Nevin hit a long shot to right but Javier leapt, extended his glove over the fence, flipped the ball back into play, and caught it while sitting on the ground to preserve a 5-1 lead.

"I thought the ball was in my glove, but I looked up and it was coming down right behind me," Javier said. "It was a lucky catch. It just came down where I was coming down and I grabbed it."

Javier said it was the best catch of his 15-year major league career.

"He hit it high enough where I had a chance to time my jump," Javier said. "I wasn't sure how far it was going to carry."

Even Nevin was impressed by the catch.

"It was a great catch all the way around," Nevin said. "He showed great concentration. I don't know what else to say. It changed the game. We lose by two. It was huge because we had a runner on."

San Diego's Brian Meadows (4-5) walked four batters in the first three innings -- they all scored -- and fell behind 3-0 before recording an out.

Rickey Henderson led off the game for Seattle with a walk and stole second. After Mike Cameron walked, Rodriguez followed with a two-run double to left-center. Edgar Martinez hit an RBI double that made it 3-0.

With two outs in the third, Meadows' control and San Diego's fielding came back to hurt the Padres.

John Olerud and Javier walked before Tom Lampkin lifted a deep drive to the left-field warning track. The ball went off Al Martin's glove for a two-base error that allowed Olerud and Javier to come home and up the score to 5-0.

Meadows escaped the inning without any further damage as Martin made a diving catch of Mark McLemore's liner to left-center for the third out.

Paul Abbott (2-2) allowed one unearned run and seven hits over 5 1/3 innings to get the win.

Abbott left after walking Ruben Rivera and Gonzalez to load the bases with one out in the sixth. But Jose Paniagua got pinch-hitter Dave Magadan to hit into a 3-6-1 double play to end the threat.

Although Abbott managed to win his first game since May 9, he was not too impressed with his performance.

"I got ahead in the count early, but I really didn't have much at all with my change-up," Abbott said. "It was actually terrible."

The Padres rallied with three runs in the ninth inning on an RBI triple by Eric Owens and a two-run homer by Martin.

Meadows allowed five runs -- three earned -- four hits and six walks in 4 1/3 innings.

Seattle added its sixth run of the game as Olerud followed Rodriguez's triple with a sacrifice fly to center.

Nevin was ejected in the seventh inning by home plate umpire Paul Schrieber for arguing with third base umpire Terry Craft that Rodriguez should have been called out at third on his triple.

"I thought I was safe," Rodriguez said.

Nevin had a different view of the play.

"He was out. There is no question about it," Nevin said.

The win moved the Mariners past Oakland into first place in the AL West.

Game notes
The first has been the Mariners' most productive inning of the year. With three runs in the first, they have now outscored their opponent 53-29. ... Seattle is 7-10 in interleague games with the Padres. ... The Mariners lead the AL in receiving intentional walks with 16. ... Olerud walked twice and leads the AL with 44. ... The Padres placed RHP Donne Wall on the 15-day DL with tendinitis in his right shoulder. They recalled RHP Brandon Kolb from Triple-A Las Vegas. ... Tony Gwynn was 4-for-14 in the series as a DH, making him 10-for-49 (.204) lifetime as a DH.

 


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