Football
18y

Ichiro helps King Felix earn first win of season

BALTIMORE (AP) -- The Baltimore Orioles blew a four-run lead,
lost four players to injuries and left 13 runners on base.

The Seattle Mariners, not surprisingly, had a much better day.

Ichiro Suzuki got two hits in a six-run sixth inning and Felix
Hernandez earned his first win of the season Saturday, helping
Seattle rally for an 8-6 victory over the Orioles.

Adrian Beltre and Carl Everett homered for the Mariners, and
Yuniesky Betancourt came through with a go-ahead single in the
sixth as Seattle bounced back from an early 4-0 deficit.

"We'll take it," manager Mike Hargrove said. "The guys have
played hard all season long. Today we were able to carry it
through."

Seattle came through at the right times. The Mariners had 10
hits and went 4-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

The Orioles had 15 hits but went 4-for-18 with runners in
scoring position and left the bases loaded twice, including in the
ninth when they once had runners on second and third with one out.

"I think the key for us was the fourth inning when we had the
bases loaded, nobody out, and we weren't able to put that game
away," Baltimore manager Sam Perlozzo said. "I sat there and
said, 'I hope that doesn't come back and haunt us,' but that ended
up being the case."

Eddie Guardado loaded the bases in the ninth before striking out
Nick Markakis and retiring Raul Chavez on a grounder for his third
save in five chances.

The Orioles finished the game with an unusual defensive
alignment due to several injuries. They had Ramon Hernandez at
first, Melvin Mora at second with Chris Gomez playing shortstop,
and Jeff Conine at third base. Luis Terrero went to left field, and
Chavez was catching as Perlozzo had to scramble to fill holes.

Only two Orioles starters remained in their original defensive
positions.

Back spasms made Baltimore designated hitter Javy Lopez a late
scratch, and a bruised right hand forced first baseman Kevin Millar
out during the second inning.

Miguel Tejada kept his consecutive games streak alive at 943,
but knee soreness forced him out in the sixth. He said he'd likely
be a designated hitter in Sunday's game. Also, second baseman Brian
Roberts left in the seventh with a strained groin.

Perlozzo said the Orioles would make decisions about any roster
moves on Sunday morning.

The Mariners rallied from the early deficit to break a nine-game
losing streak in Baltimore that dated to April 2004. Orioles
starter Bruce Chen had limited Seattle to one hit through the first
four innings.

Everett homered in the fifth to make it 4-1. Suzuki doubled to
start the sixth and scored on Willie Bloomquist's single.
Bloomquist later scored on an errant pickoff throw. Kenji Johjima
tied the game with a broken-bat single off reliever Jim Brower
(0-1).

Eddy Rodriguez then walked Jose Lopez, and Betancourt followed
with his two-run single to center. Suzuki added his second hit of
the inning, an RBI single that gave Seattle a 7-4 lead.

"That was big for us today," Betancourt said. "I didn't try
to do too much, just put the ball in play. I wanted to keep
everything positive and have a quality at-bat."

Tejada cut the lead to 7-5 with an RBI single in the sixth and
Conine drove in a run with a seventh-inning groundout. But Beltre
greeted Baltimore reliever Sandy Rleal with a solo homer in the
eighth.

Hernandez (1-3) got the win despite struggling through five
innings. He allowed four runs and 10 hits as the Orioles repeatedly
pounded his fastball.

"This was huge for me because I kept the team in the game,"
Hernandez said. "To get out of that bases-loaded jam (in the
fourth) was important."

The Orioles took a 1-0 lead in the second on Markakis' RBI
single. That broke a five-game hitless streak for the rookie right
fielder and scored Gomez, who was running for Millar. The first
baseman was hit by Hernandez's pitch to start the inning.

Corey Patterson added to his recent strong hitting with a
three-run homer in the third, giving the Orioles a 4-0 lead. He
also homered in Friday's win over Seattle.

Tejada extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a
fourth-inning single.

Game notes
Tejada's 943-game streak is the longest active run in the
majors. ... Terrero became the first Orioles player to be caught
stealing this year after the team was successful on its first 20
attempts. ... Suzuki has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games.
... The Mariners are 7-0 when leading after six innings.

^ Back to Top ^