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Mariners down Reds

Jul 8, 2013 - 1:21 AM Cincinnati, OH (Sports Network) - Nick Franklin hit a solo homer, Justin Smoak cranked a two-run shot and Joe Saunders took care of the rest as the Seattle Mariners took a 3-1 decision in Sunday's rubber match of their series with the Cincinnati Reds.

Saunders (7-8) gave up one run and scattered six hits without issuing a walk in seven innings on the hill for Seattle, which took two of three in its first visit to Great American Ball Park and finished its road trip through Arlington and Cincinnati with a 4-2 record.

"We're doing a good job, we're playing good quality baseball," said Saunders. "The guys are playing good defense, we're getting some clutch hits and we're throwing the ball pretty good. We just got to keep it going."

The Reds were coming off a 13-4 win, but they couldn't solve Saunders and saw their starter, Bronson Arroyo, get done in by a pair of long balls.

Arroyo (7-7) caught too much of the plate on a 1-2 slider to Franklin in the first frame, and the 22-year-old rookie hammered it over the wall in left- center for his sixth home run of the season.

It was the third consecutive game the Mariners went deep in the first inning, and Smoak joined in on the home run binge with an opposite-field shot to left in the third. Kyle Seager worked a walk prior to Smoak's two-out blast.

Those were the only real mistakes made by Arroyo, who was charged with three runs on five hits and one walk over six innings.

Saunders, meanwhile, was on top of his game, stranding runners on the corners in the first and fifth innings and retiring 11 in a row in between.

"We couldn't get anything going," said Reds manager Dusty Baker. "We hit the ball a lot better than the scoreboard said."

Cincinnati finally got to him in the seventh when Todd Frazier and Chris Heisey hit back-to-back doubles, the latter a line drive to left field that plated Frazier easily.

But after stranding Heisey on second, the Reds went down in order against Charlie Furbush in the eighth and went quietly in the ninth to Tom Wilhelmsen, who needed just five pitches to pick up his 18th save of the season.

Game Notes

Mariners outfielder Raul Ibanez extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a single in the first inning ... The Reds went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position ... Arroyo came in with 6-1 record and a 2.42 ERA in 11 home starts this season ... The Mariners are 10-2 all-time against the Reds ... Game time: 2:33.