Orioles 3
Mariners 6
Final
  for this game

Wells lifts Mariners over Orioles

Jul 3, 2012 - 5:47 AM

Video

Seattle, WA (Sports Network) - Casper Wells' three-run double in the seventh inning lifted the Seattle Mariners to a 6-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles in the opener of a three-game set.

Miguel Olivo and Dustin Ackley hit back-to-back homers in the eighth while Brendan Ryan drove in the other run for the Mariners, who had lost five of eight coming in.

Hisashi Iwakuma gave up three runs on three hits with three walks and four strikeouts over five innings of work for Seattle. Steve Delabar (2-1) pitched two hitless innings for the win.

Chris Davis' three-run home run accounted for all the runs for the Orioles, who have dropped six of their last seven. Jason Hammel (8-4) was touched for four runs on seven hits with two walks and eight strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings in defeat.

"You'd like to carry some momentum into the All-Star break," said Hammel. "Right now it's kind of a tough go. You just got to keep plugging along and find a way. It's definitely frustrating for me cause I did pitch so well and to give it up in the seventh inning there, it really could've changed the momentum if we walk away with a 'W' here."

The game stayed scoreless until the third inning when the Mariners jumped on top. Chone Figgins led off with a single and moved to second on Munenori Kawasaki's sac bun. Ryan followed with a single to center for a 1-0 lead.

It was a short-lived lead, though, as Davis' three-run shot in the fourth, his 14th of the season, made it a 3-1 game.

In the seventh, the Mariners went up for good. Dustin Ackley led off with a walk and Kawasaki later singled. After Ryan fouled out for the second out of the inning, Ichiro Suzuki kept the frame alive with a walk. Wells then doubled to the gap in right-center to clear the bases and make it a 4-3 game.

"I just tried to keep it simple, as simple as possible," said Wells. "I'm just looking for a pitch and trying be aggressive, the same approach I've had."

Olivo clubbed his seventh homer of the year with one out in the eighth and Ackley followed on the next pitch with a shot to right for his fifth of the season.

Tom Wilhelmsen pitched around a one-out walk by Jim Thome to pick up his seventh save of the year.

Game Notes

Before the game, the Orioles announced that pitcher Dontrelle Willis has decided to retire after nine major league seasons. He pitched four games for Baltimore's Triple-A affiliate in Norfolk and went 0-3 with an 8.53 earned run average...Despite the loss, the Orioles have won four of the seven games against the Mariners this season...It was the second time this season the Mariners hit consecutive homers. The last was on May 19 against Colorado when Justin Smoak and Jesus Montero turned the trick.






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