MILWAUKEE (AP) For the first time in weeks, the light-hitting Seattle Mariners played longball.
Mariners 6, Brewers 3
Scott Spiezio hit a tiebreaking homer leading off the eighth inning Thursday, sending Seattle to a 6-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. Jolbert Cabrera homered and drove in three runs, and Randy Winn also connected for the Mariners.
”Three home runs is a great thing,” said Seattle manager Bob Melvin, whose team hit three for the first time since defeating Cleveland 7-3 on May 26.
The Mariners have 48 homers, the lowest total in the AL.
Spiezio hit a 2-0 pitch from Matt Kinney (3-4) into the right-field stands for his seventh homer of the year, snapping an 0-for-10 slump.
”I was just looking to get on,” Spiezio said. ”I put an aggressive swing on it.”
Kinney said it was a bad pitch.
”I threw a ball right down the middle,” he said. ”You can't do that here, especially in a tight ballgame.”
Mike Myers (3-1) got two outs for the win, escaping a seventh-inning jam. Eddie Guardado pitched 1 1-3 innings for his 12th save in 15 chances.
Winn hit a two-run homer in the ninth to make it 6-3, his second this season.
It was the third consecutive series the Brewers had a chance to sweep, but they have failed to win the final game each time.
”They're just tough when you're playing a major league team,” Milwaukee manager Ned Yost said.
With the score tied at 2 in the seventh, Cabrera lined a two-out single off Kinney to drive in Ramon Santiago from second.
In the bottom half, Brady Clark hit his fourth homer of the year for Milwaukee to tie it at 3.
”The ball flies here,” said Seattle starter Ryan Franklin, who was in line for the win until Clark's homer. ”It's good for us, but bad for me for a second today.”
Scott Podsednik and Junior Spivey then walked, chasing Franklin. Myers, a left-hander, retired left-handed batters Geoff Jenkins and Lyle Overbay to end the inning, each on the first pitch.
”Those are the guys we had him lined up for,” Melvin said. ”That's their two best hitters and that's why we have him.”
Milwaukee made it 1-0 in the second, snapping Franklin's scoreless innings streak at 15, when Bill Hall singled, stole second and scored on Chad Moeller's two-out single.
Cabrera also hit a two-run shot in the fourth. His first homer of the year came off Milwaukee starter Chris Capuano and gave Seattle a 2-1 lead.
The Brewers tied it in the bottom of the inning when Ben Grieve's groundout scored Overbay from third. Overbay singled to lead off the inning, extending his hitting streak to 14 games.
Franklin pitched 6 2-3 innings, giving up three runs on nine hits and four walks.
Capuano, making only his third start since April, pitched six innings, giving up two runs on four hits and four walks.
Kinney worked two innings, giving up two runs and four hits.