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Franklin Gutierrez’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the ninth inning – a rally keyed by two hit batters – gave the Mariners a 3-2 win over the Cleveland Indians.
The victory snapped Seattle’s five-game losing streak and was their fourth win in their past 24 road games.
“Our guys hung in there,” Mariners manager Eric Wedge said.
Chance Ruffin (1-0) pitched a scoreless eighth for his first major league win while Brandon League worked out of a ninth-inning jam for his 31st save in 35 opportunities.
Cleveland closer Chris Perez (2-6) hit both Miguel Olivo and Brendan Ryan with pitches to start the ninth. Perez compounded his problems by dropping a sacrifice bunt by rookie Trayvon Robinson, loading the bases with no outs.
Ichiro Suzuki, who led off the game with a home run, struck out. But Gutierrez hit a fly to medium center field and the slow-footed Olivo barely beat Ezequiel Carrera’s one-hop throw home.
“We have to do it,” Wedge said of the decision to send Olivo home. “That’s the ballgame right there. He was aggressive. It was a good, hard slide and he got in there.”
Wedge also credited Gutierrez, who managed to lift his fly ball deep enough so Olivo could score.
“I can’t say enough about that,” Wedge said. “He hung in there. He had a tough at-bat.”
League retired the first two batters in the ninth, but singles by ex-Mariner Jack Hannahan and pinch-hitter Lonnie Chisenhall placed runners at first and third. Chisenhall stole second, but League got Carrera to ground out to first on a 3-2 pitch, capping a nine-pitch at-bat.
“League didn’t give in to the fight there,” Wedge said. “He made some big pitches.”
Jason Vargas allowed two unearned runs in seven innings, a fact that especially pleased Wedge since the teams play a day-night doubleheader today.
“He got us deep into the ballgame,” Wedge said. “When you’re playing this many games, you always have concerns about your bullpen. That was big for us.”
Ruffin, the player to be named in the deal that sent pitcher Doug Fister to Detroit at the trade deadline, pitched a perfect eighth inning.
“I love being in pressure situations,” Ruffin said. “I’m happy they have the confidence to use me in a tie game that late.”
Although Ichiro didn’t come through in the ninth, he did play a key role in the win. Batting .266 at gametime, he had three hits and connected off Fausto Carmona for his 35th career leadoff home run. He tied Barry Bonds for sixth all-time, two behind Philadelphia’s Jimmy Rollins.
Despite the fact Ichiro, a career .331 hitter, is having his worst season in the majors, Wedge has no plans to cut his playing time or move him out of the leadoff spot.
“He’s had his struggles this year,” Wedge said. “I know it’s been a fight for him. He’s tried to handle it the best he can. We’re going to continue to give him opportunities at the top of the lineup as we play this out.”
Mike Carp went 0-for-4, snapping his 20-game hitting streak.
SHORT HOPS
The win was Wedge’s first against his former club, which fired him at the end of the 2009 season after eight years. Cleveland swept three games in Seattle in April and won a game in Cleveland in May. … Seattle will call up left-hander Anthony Vasquez from Tacoma to make his big league debut in the nightcap of the doubleheader today at Cleveland. The Mariners will have to clear a spot on both the 25- and 40-man rosters between games.
