| |
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
GAME LOG
SEATTLE (AP) -- The Seattle Mariners' pitching is in shambles and
their lead in the AL West is shrinking.
Juan Encarnacion and Deivi Cruz hit two-run homers as the
Detroit Tigers completed a three-game sweep of the Mariners with a
12-8 victory Wednesday night.
|  | | Detroit's Juan Encarnacion safely slides into home -- one of three runs allowed in the fifth by Seattle starter John Halama. |
The Mariners, who held their first closed-door meeting since the
first day of spring training before the game, lost their
season-worst fifth straight. The Tigers beat Seattle for the fifth
time in six games and won for the sixth time in seven games.
With Oakland's 7-6 win over Cleveland on Wednesday night, the
Mariners saw their division lead drop to three games. They've lost
four games off their season-best seven-game lead in five days.
"Detroit came in here and hit the ball real well against us for
three days," Seattle manager Lou Piniella said. "It wasn't a very
good week of pitching for us."
Jeff Weaver (8-10) gave up seven runs on eight hits in 5 2-3
innings, but got the win. He gave up home runs to Edgar Martinez
and Carlos Guillen, walked none and struck out six.
The Tigers outscored the Mariners 36-12, while outhitting them
51-26 in the series. Seattle committed four errors, including two
in the series finale, to give Detroit nine unearned runs.
Detroit swept Seattle for the first time since July 3-5, 1995,
in Detroit, and got its first three-game sweep in Seattle since
July 20-22, 1992.
"We had a good series," Tigers manager Phil Garner said. "We
hit the ball good and we came back. We just did an overall good
job."
"We had a rough April," Detroit's Damion Easley said. "We're
just playing as a team right now. We feel we can beat anybody. More
importantly, we're doing it."
Reliever Brett Tomko (6-4) gave up a two-run single to Easley to
break a 7-all tie in the sixth. Brad Ausmus and Shane Halter
singled, and moved up a base on Tomko's balk.
The Mariners tied the score at 7 in the fifth on Martinez's
sacrifice fly, his third RBI of the night and major league-leading
116th of the season.
In the top of the inning, the Tigers got a two-run single from
Juan Gonzalez, and Bobby Higginson came in on Dean Palmer's
groundout.
Guillen's sacrifice fly scored Al Martin, who tripled to lead
off the Mariners first, and Martinez hit a two-run homer, his 28th
of the season, after Alex Rodriguez was hit by a pitch as Seattle
took a 3-0 lead.
Cruz hit his two-run homer in the second and Encarnacion added
his two-run homer in the third off John Halama.
Guillen had a three-run homer off Weaver in the second, giving
him four RBI for the night.
Mike Cameron added a sacrifice fly in the eighth, cutting it to
9-8.
The Tigers scored three runs in the ninth as Gonzalez led off
with a double and scored on Cruz's two-out double. Ausmus walked
before pinch-hitter Jose Macias hit a bloop triple to right. Right
fielder Jay Buhner and second baseman Mark McLemore collided on the
play, and the ball lay on the ground as Cruz scored from third and
Ausmus from first.
Center fielder Cameron came over and picked up the ball, and
threw Macias out at the plate.
McLemore wasn't seriously hurt, but Buhner's right wrist was
swollen after the game. Trainer Rick Griffin said Buhner apparently
was only bruised. "You could call it a bruise. That's a good
term," Griffin said.
"I'm surprised that it wasn't more serious than it was,"
Piniella said.
Piniella said McLemore "got his bell rung pretty good," but
McLemore didn't talk about his injuries.
Asked what hurt the most, he replied, "That we lost the game."
Halama, pitching on three days' rest, went 4 1-3 innings and
gave up seven runs -- five earned -- on six hits and a walk.
Game notes
Piniella said LF Rickey Henderson will play at the start of
a road trip in Cleveland on Friday night after Henderson missed his
third straight because of a sore right leg. ... Seattle lost its
first homestand of the season, going 1-5. The Mariners made 11
errors on the homestand. In their five losses, Seattle gave up an
average of 10.2 runs a game. ... Martinez's 116 RBI are a career
high. His previous best was 113 in 1995. ... Rodriguez was hit on
the right forearm. ... Weaver lost his right shoe when it was
stepped on by Martin as the pitcher covered first in the second
inning. ... Guillen's four RBI tied a career high set August 7 at
the New York Yankees. ... Gonzalez has a 19-game road hitting
streak.
| |
ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Detroit Clubhouse
Seattle Clubhouse
RECAPS
Toronto 8
Anaheim 6
Boston 4
Tampa Bay 3
Texas 5
NY Yankees 0
Chi. White Sox 7
Baltimore 3
Kansas City 9
Minnesota 3
Detroit 12
Seattle 8
Oakland 7
Cleveland 6
Arizona 5
Philadelphia 1
Atlanta 4
San Diego 1
St. Louis 5
Chicago Cubs 1
Los Angeles 10
Florida 4
San Francisco 4
Montreal 1
Colorado 7
NY Mets 5
Houston 11
Pittsburgh 10
Milwaukee 5
Cincinnati 1
|
