SEATTLE – Daisuke Matsuzaka got himself into trouble nearly every inning and pitched his way out of it.
Jarrod Washburn found himself in only two big jams and he was burned both times.
Matsuzaka made key pitches when anything less would have cost him a big inning, and that became the difference for the Boston Red Sox in a 4-3 victory Saturday night over the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field.
“Matzusaka has got the ability to raise his game when he needs to,” Mariners manager John McLaren said. “He was special tonight.”
The outcome kept the Mariners 21/2 games out of first place in the American League West after the division-leading Angels also lost. It also ended a nine-game Mariners winning streak over the Red Sox at Safeco Field, including four straight this season.
The Mariners made a late run against the Red Sox bullpen, scoring once off Eric Gagne in the eighth to pull within a run, and they had runners on first and second with two outs in the ninth before closer Jonathan Papelbon got Adrian Beltre to pop up to end the game.
The Mariners had plenty of opportunities against Matsuzaka, who was 0-1 in his previous three starts this season against the M’s and was hardly in complete control this time.
They thumped him for six hits, including solo home runs by Beltre in the second inning and Yuniesky Betancourt in the seventh, and four others reached on walks or hit batters.
Matsuzaka retired the Mariners in order only in the first inning, and he pitched with at least two runners on base and less than two outs in the third, fourth and sixth.
Strikeouts saved Matsuzaka, who threw his pitches in all shapes, speeds and locations to fan 10 Mariners.
“We had a couple of chances, but he made some pitches and pitched out of a couple of jams,” McLaren said. “He showed me something tonight. You don’t have a lot of pitchers who have that ability. Randy (Johnson) had that ability, and Roger Clemens and guys like that. I was really impressed.”
Matsuzaka’s strikeout victims included Jose Guillen four times, including the third inning when Guillen swung through strike three with the bases loaded and one out.
It has been a brutal weekend for Guillen.
Since voicing his concern over the arrival of rookie Adam Jones and its affect on the team, Guillen’s chemistry at the plate has been thoroughly disrupted.
He is 0-for-8 in the first two games of the series with six strikeouts. He also grounded into a double play Friday and made a throwing error Saturday that allowed a run to score in the sixth inning.
While Matsuzaka pulled himself out of trouble, Washburn couldn’t. He gave up eight hits and four runs in 61/3 innings, getting burned in the fourth and sixth when the Red Sox scored twice each time.
Jason Varitek’s two-out double to left field scored two runs in the fourth and pulled the Red Sox ahead after Beltre’s homer had given the Mariners a 1-0 lead.
In the sixth, Kevin Youkilis doubled, David Ortiz singled and Manny Ramirez doubled before Washburn recorded an out. He wasn’t helped by Guillen’s error after Ortiz’s single to right field. Trying to throw out Youkilis at third, Guillen’s strong throw sailed over Beltre’s head and into the seats.
Ortiz scored on Ramirez’s double, making the score 4-1.
Betancourt’s homer, his second in two nights, made the score 4-2 in the seventh, but Matsuzaka finished his work when Ichiro Suzuki grounded out and both Jose Vidro and Guillen struck out.
Eric Gagne, acquired by the Red Sox last week in a trade-deadline deal with the Rangers, pitched the eighth and got two quick outs before the Mariners made him sweat.
Ben Broussard, starting at first base in place of slumping Richie Sexson, singled for his second hit of the game and Kenji Johjima followed with an RBI single off the left field wall, making the score 4-3.
Jose Lopez doubled to push Johjima to third, bringing up Betancourt, who had a .424 average in the previous 10 games. Gagne got Betancourt to lunge at a pitch over the outer portion of the strike zone, and he bounced it back to the mound for an easy third out.
Papelbon worked the ninth and made Suzuki and Vidro look feeble with back-to-back strikeouts, but Guillen worked him for a two-out walk.
Jones pinch-ran for Guillen and, with Raul Ibanez at bat, promptly stole second. Papelbon pitched carefully to Ibanez and walked him, bringing up Beltre, who’d batted .340 in the previous 25 games.
Papelbon threw him a 96 mph fastball, over the plate but up in the zone, and Beltre popped it straight up. Varitek caught it in foul territory to end the game.
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