ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) The only thing missing from Bobby Madritsch's stellar first career start was a win.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The only thing missing from Bobby Madritsch's stellar first career start was a win.
Mariners 4, Devil Rays 2, 11 innings
Randy Winn and Bret Boone each had RBI singles during a three-run 11th inning, and the Seattle Mariners snapped a six-game losing streak Thursday night with a 4-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Madritsch gave up one run and five hits in eight innings, making a strong impression on Mariners manager Bob Melvin.
”He gave us everything he had,” Melvin said. ”It's as good an outing as we've had in quite sometime.”
Madritsch, who flew in eight family members for the game, walked one and struck out six.
”It was my first big league start, and I knew I'd only have one of them,” Madritsch said. ”I wanted them to be here. That's what really gave me that extra (strength) when I needed it, knowing that they were there and knowing that they were watching me.”
Madritsch had made four appearances — winning twice — out of the bullpen.
”You just watch the way he competes out there,” Melvin said. ”That's what you look for. That's a lot of his success. His attitude out there is something that we've kind of been missing in a lot of the guys that we've been seeing here.”
In the 11th, Miguel Olivo drew a leadoff walk from Tampa Bay closer Danys Baez (3-2) and went to second on Justin Leone's sacrifice. Olivo advanced to third on a single by Jose Lopez and scored when third baseman Geoff Blum misplayed Ichiro Suzuki's grounder for an error.
Suzuki was credited with an RBI.
”Our only shot is to get the play at the plate,” Blum said. ”The ball handcuffed me and I lost control of it.”
Winn and Boone followed with consecutive run-scoring singles to make it 4-1, sending Seattle to just its second win in 23 road games.
Suzuki went 3-for-6 and is hitting an AL-best .359.
Scott Atchison (1-0) pitched two innings for his first major league win. He allowed a solo homer to Carl Crawford with one out in the 11th.
Tampa Bay's Tino Martinez hit his 315th homer. He is one shy of tying Ron Cey for 90th on the career list.
The Mariners failed to score after loading the bases in the 10th.
Suzuki opened the inning with a single off Jesus Colome and went to second when Winn walked. After Boone's sacrifice, Raul Ibanez was intentionally walked to load to the bases.
Baez replaced Colome and struck out Bucky Jacobsen and retired Scott Spiezio on a pop fly.
Devil Rays right-hander Jorge Sosa allowed an unearned run, six hits, two walks and struck out eight over seven innings in his second start of the season after 29 relief outings. He joined the rotation after Victor Zambrano was traded to the New York Mets last Friday.
”We squandered good pitching,” Tampa Bay manager Lou Piniella said.
The Mariners threatened in the third and fourth, but were hitless in five at-bats with runners in scoring positions during that stretch.
Seattle broke a scoreless tie with one run in the fifth.
Leone singled and Lopez reached when Tampa Bay shortstop B.J. Upton was charged with an error after misplaying a potential double-play grounder. Suzuki then drove in Leone with a single to make it 1-0.
Upton had a double in four at-bats. He is 2-for-14 since being called up from Triple-A Durham last Sunday.
Martinez tied it at 1 with a homer in the bottom of the fifth.
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