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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   ADDITIONAL ITEMS • Seattle Mariners (External Link) • Schedule (External Link) • Stats (External Link)   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Sunday, July 6, 2008 Clement powers Mariners to win The rookie catcher hits two home runs as Seattle beats Detroit 3-2 Saturday night. By Kirby Arnold Herald Writer SEATTLE -- One game doesn't shift the balance of power in the Seattle Mariners' lineup. But one game, Saturday night at Safeco Field, certainly created an enticing vision of the Mariners' future. Jeff Clement, a 24-year-old who the Mariners couldn't keep down on the farm because of their hitting problems and his own success at Class AAA Tacoma, single-handedly gave the Mariners a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers. Clement's two home runs, including a two-run drive into the right-field seats in the eighth inning, helped the Mariners come back from a 2-0 deficit. This is Clement's second go-round in the big leagues this season and it's turning out much better than the first. He's hit four home runs with seven RBI in 13 games since being recalled from Tacoma. His surge is welcomed because the Mariners continue to get little pop from their other big boppers. Adrian Beltre has warmed up to hit 16 home runs, although he went 0-for-4 Saturday and stranded six runners. Richie Sexson remains little more than a singles hitter, with one home run and two extra-base hits since May 24. "Any time you can help the team win … Well, I haven't been doing that," Clement said. During Clement's first stint this season, from April 30-May 6, he batted .167 with no homers, two RBI and 20 strikeouts in 48 at-bats. He has fanned 14 times in 44 at-bats his second time up. Still, the Mariners waited for Clement to show his renowned power. "He's hit the ball out of the ballpark everywhere he's played," manager Jim Riggleman said. "Eventually he's going to hit it out of the park here. He certainly has the power and bat speed to hit the ball out of the ballpark. He got a couple of pitches to do it with, whereas lately he hadn't had much to work with." It did seem like Clement always had two strikes against him before he got settled in the batter's box. Saturday, however, it all changed. He flied out to center field his first two at-bats against Tigers starter Armando Galarraga, but connected in the sixth inning with a no-doubt-about-it drive deep into the right field seats. That one cut the Tigers' lead to 2-1, which they built with home runs themselves. Carlos Guillen hit a first-inning drive off M's starter R.A. Dickey, and Miguel Cabrera hit a solo homer in the fourth inning off Dickey. Dickey kept the Tigers scoreless through six innings -- escaping a bases-loaded jam in the fifth -- and Miguel Batista followed him with two scoreless innings. When Clement came to bat again, with one out and a runner on base, he faced hard-throwing Detroit reliever Fernando Rodney. The right-hander threw a changeup for a first-pitch strike, and Clement prepared himself for another offspeed pitch. Instead, Rodney centered a fastball and Clement crushed it. It gave the Mariners a 3-2 lead and sent the Safeco Field crowd into its loudest ovation of the season. Urged by his teammates, Clement acknowledged the curtain call with a wave from the top step of the dugout. "I was about to put my gear on and a couple of guys said, 'Get up there,'" Clement said. "So I gave a wave and then I put my gear on." Clement also helped the Mariners take away a run. He blocked the plate and tagged out the Tigers' Dane Sardinha in the fifth inning after taking Raul Ibanez's perfect throw from left field. "That was the play of the game," Dickey said. "I was right behind the plate. I had a perfect view. Raul's throw was right there and Jeff had a textbook block." The victory clinched the Mariners' first winning homestand this season -- they're 4-2 with today's finale against the Tigers remaining -- and gave them a 10-5 record under Riggleman. "A lot of good things happened out there," Riggleman said. "Win lose or draw, it was a great ballgame against a great ballclub. We can compete with some people if we just go out there with that mindset." Read Kirby Arnold's blog on the Mariners at www.heraldnet.com

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