By Kirby Arnold
Herald Writer
SEATTLE – This has gone beyond a hot streak. Beyond a runaway in the division race.
Beyond belief.
The Seattle Mariners trotted out their B lineup behind Jamie Moyer on Wednesday, then proceeded to play their A game in a 7-3 victory over the Texas Rangers.
Moyer pitched his best game of the season, limiting the Rangers to three hits through seven innings, and the Mariners rode Edgar Martinez’s first-inning home run and a six-run feast of Texas relief pitching in the eighth.
The Mariners haven’t lost in 16 days, a run of 14 victories that made them the first American League team since the 1994 Kansas City Royals to win 14 straight. It’s the longest streak in the major leagues this season, and the longest since Atlanta won 15 in a row last year.
As for the select company the Mariners are keeping, their 46-12 record was last accomplished by the 1939 New York Yankees. The top records all-time after 58 games belong to the 1912 New York Giants (47-11), the 1907 Cubs and the ‘39 Yankees (46-12).
The series sweep was the ninth of the season for the Mariners.
Moyer, the prince of run support this season – the Mariners had averaged 6.27 runs in his first 11 starts – didn’t need that many runs this time.
Martinez drove his eighth home run of the season over the center field fence for a 1-0 first-inning lead and Moyer took care of the rest, striking out seven and not allowing a hit after the third inning. Jeff Nelson pitched a scoreless eighth and Jose Paniagua spit up three runs in the ninth before Arthur Rhodes finished with two strikeouts.
Offensively, the Mariners struggled against Texas starter Darren Oliver, and the reason seemed as clear as the unusual-looking lineup card.
Charles Gipson started in center field for Mike Cameron, who suffered a mild knee strain while sliding on Tuesday. Ed Sprague played first base as John Olerud took a seat for just the third time this season. Stan Javier was in left field, where Mark McLemore likely would have started if not for a groin injury.
What those guys lacked in hits the first seven innings, they made up with spectacular defense.
Ichiro Suzuki made a sliding backhand catch of Alex Rodriguez’s bloop to right-center field in the first inning; Gipson turned his speed into a diving grab of Andres Galarraga’s sinking line drive in the seventh; and David Bell made two backhand stops of ground balls down the third-base line and threw runners out.
And then there was Moyer’s own pinpoint pitching. Of his eight strikeouts, half of them sent Rangers to the dugout after they’d looked at called third strikes.
With the score remaining 1-0, all that defense and pitching seemed so vital. Until the Mariners chowed down on four Texas relief pitchers in the eighth.
Suzuki, whose fifth-inning double was one of only five hits off Oliver, greeted left-hander Mike Venafro with a chopper that covered about 30 feet between home plate and the mound. Suzuki’s speed forced Venafro into a wild throw that ended up near the tarpaulin along the right-field line.
Texas brought in rookie right-hander J.D. Sparks, who served up Cameron’s game-winning homer the previous night, and his luck wasn’t any better this time. Javier beat Sparks’ throw for a bunt single that pushed Suzuki to third, and Martinez followed with an RBI single to center that made the score 2-0.
Bret Boone singled to left, scoring Javier and ending Sparks’ night.
Juan Moreno took the hill, Olerud stepped up as a pinch-hitter for Sprague, and he plugged a two-run double into the gap in left-center. David Bell drove home Olerud with a double and Dan Wilson pushed home the sixth run of the inning with a slicing double to right.
Paniagua allowed three walks, a single and three runs in the ninth.
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