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Indians sink Mariners on Hafner's walkoff

May 14, 2011 - 4:42 AM Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) - Travis Hafner's two-out, two-run homer capped a three-run bottom of the ninth as Cleveland got by Seattle, 5-4, in the opener of a three-game series.

Brandon League (0-4) served up a leadoff double to Michael Brantley which sailed over the head of Mariners left fielder Carlos Peguero. Brantley scored when Asdrubal Cabrera doubled again over Peguero's head, then a groundout moved Cabrera to third.

A Carlos Santana grounder failed to produce a tying run, but Hafner ended the game with a blast over the wall in center. It made a winner of Tony Sipp (2-0), who turned in 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.

"He's a guy who has a really good sinker, so I was looking for something up," Hafner said of his approach during the game's final at-bat. "The first pitch was down, then the next pitch was up a little bit, and the last one was right where I wanted it."

Brantley and Shin-Soo Choo each homered for the Indians, who snapped a two- game skid. Starter Fausto Carmona allowed six hits and four runs over his 6 2/3-inning outing.

Justin Smoak hit a two-run homer for the Mariners, who have lost six in a row. Doug Fister worked eight full frames, charged with four hits and two runs with six strikeouts.

Carmona held Seattle hitless until Peguero's homer with two down in the fifth, then Chone Figgins began the seventh with a single and Smoak cleared the wall in center to make it 3-2 for the M's.

Jack Cust followed with a double, moved to third on a groundout, and after a walk to Peguero, scored on Brendan Ryan's single to deep short for a two-run Seattle edge.

The Mariners stranded two runners in the eighth when Sipp got Adam Kennedy to pop out.

Choo's solo shot to dead center put the Tribe on the board in the first, and Brantley turned on a Fister offering and sent it over the wall in right for a 2-0 game in the third.

"I tried to focus on mixing up my pitches a little more," Fister said of adjusting his pitch selection after giving up the two early home runs. "I tried to go in on both of those pitches, but if I have to go in, I have to do a much better job of it."

Game Notes

It was Hafner's first home run since April 17...Cleveland posted its ninth victory in its final at-bat...Seattle manager Eric Wedge returned to Cleveland for the first time since he departed the Indians organization two years ago. He was 561-573 from 2003-09 with Cleveland...Brantley's double was his first since April 24, while Cabrera hit his third two-bagger in five games.