SEATTLE — It started simply enough on a spectacular sunny Tuesday afternoon at Safeco Field. Kyle Seager cashed an opportunity created by a pair of two-out walks in the first inning by delivering an RBI single.
A two-out RBI.
The Seattle Mariners got six more of those in the second inning. And another three in the third inning. By then, the game was a rout that turned into a 16-4 blowout over San Diego in closing out the front half of a four-game series.
“It was a lot of fun,” said left fielder Seth Smith, who hit two of the Mariners’ five homers. “Anytime you can get ahead early and kind of keep the pressure on them, and you’ve got (Hisashi Iwakuma) out there doing his thing, you just kind of roll through the game.”
All of that early two-out damage came against veteran James Shields, whom the Padres are trying to trade. Shields (2-7) gave up 10 runs in 22⁄3 innings and saw his ERA spike from 3.06 to 4.28.
“You have such a deep belief in Shields’ ability to battle out of tight situations this year and throughout his career,” San Diego manager Andy Green said. “You want to give him some latitude to battle through it.
“It just wasn’t one of those days.”
The Mariners then clubbed reliever Luis Perdomo for six more runs over two innings as they built their lead to 16-0 before the Padres mustered up some late chum.
The Mariners’ five homers were a season high and stretched their MLB-leading total to 77. Their 16 runs matched a franchise record at Safeco Field; they scored 16 on three previous occasions.
Seager capped the six-run second inning with a three-run shot. Smith had a three-run drive in the third that finished off Shields, and a solo shot in the fifth against Perdomo.
It was the seventh multi-homer game in Smith’s career.
Franklin Gutierrez hit a two-run slice to right in the fourth inning against Perdomo, who also gave up a three-run shot to Adam Lind in the fifth. Afterward, the Mariners were almost sheepish in reviewing their barrage.
“Scoring runs is definitely fun,” Seager allowed, “and winning is even more fun. It was definitely a good game.”
Yep.
Iwakuma (4-4) carried a perfect game, and a 12-0 lead, into the fifth inning before the Padres finally got a base-runner on Yangervis Solarte’s leadoff single through the left side.
After that, Iwakuma almost seemed to lose interest.
“I was able to stay focused for the first five innings,” he said. “After that first hit, everything kind of went the other way.”
Iwakuma lost his shutout in the sixth after Alexei Ramirez led off with a bloop single to left, and Travis Jakowski followed with a no-doubt homer to center.
Iwakuma then yielded a two-out homer to Matt Kemp, which trimmed the lead to 16-3. And Hector Sanchez led off the San Diego seventh with a homer before Iwakuma closed out the inning.
Lefty relievers Vidal Nuno and Mike Montgomery completed the victory, which enabled the Mariners to salvage a split in their eight-game homestand and improve to 30-21.
The Mariners also, temporarily, pulled even with Texas atop the American League West Division. The Rangers started the day with a one-half-game lead and played later Tuesday at Cleveland.
The decisive second inning began when Luis Sardinas and Nori Aoki reached on two-out singles against Shields, who then loaded the bases by walking Smith.
Another walk, to Robinson Cano, forced in a run before Nelson Cruz grounded a single through the left side. Aoki scored easily, and third-base coach Manny Acta gambled by sending Smith from second.
Kerwin Danley’s safe call prompted a San Diego challenge and a lengthy review (2 minutes, 51 seconds). The call stood. Not confirmed. Just not enough video evidence to overturn it. The Mariners led 4-0.
It was a key call that became far more key when Seager followed with a three-run homer. Six runs. All with two outs. That quickly, it was 7-0, and the rout was on.
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