• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Guillen drives in five as Mariners sweep White Sox

Aug 20, 2007 - 12:57 AM By Paul Lowenberg PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

SEATTLE (Ticker) - Jose Guillen homered and drove in a career high-tying five runs to help Felix Hernandez and the Seattle Mariners to an 11-5 rout of the Chicago White Sox and a sweep of their three-game series on Sunday.

Ichiro Suzuki had three hits and two RBI and Adrian Beltre homered and drove in two runs to lead a 12-hit attack for the Mariners, who swept the White Sox at home for the first time since May 15-17, 2001.

Hernandez (9-6) won his third consecutive decision but needed help from his defense as he went 6 1/3 innings to pace the Mariners to their ninth win in 12 games. The hard-throwing righthander allowed five runs and 10 hits while striking out five and walking three.

The 21-year-old Hernandez was not sharp, hitting a batter, throwing a wild pitch and showing a startling lack of command. But he was aided by three double plays to limit the damage.

"Felix wasn't real sharp," Mariners manager John McLaren said. "He'd throw the ball good and then he would have some lapses when he didn't throw it so good. So, it's still a work in progress with him.

"When you get a large lead, you have to learn what to do out there."

White Sox starter Jon Garland (8-9), who was 6-1 against the Mariners and had not lost to them since August 8, 2000 entering the contest, was battered for 10 hits and 10 runs in just 2 2/3 innings. He walked and struck out one.

"It was a tough day," Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen said. "The last outing he (Garland) threw the ball really well, but today he was all over the place."

Jose Vidro started the scoring when he doubled in the first and Guillen belted his 17th homer into the left field seats for a 2-0 lead. Adrian Beltre hit his 19th blast one out later to make it 3-0.

"He's got a real good stroke," McLaren said about Guillen, who is 8-for-16 lifetime against Garland. "He's having fun, like a lot of those guys. When you have fun, and you're loose and you play hard and you have ability, good things are going to happen."

Even though he has 77 RBI, good for second on the Mariners, Guillen said he is not the main cog in the offense.

"It's not just one guy who is carrying this team," Guillen said. "Everybody is contributing to this team and that's what makes it better."

Guillen singled in two more runs in the second for a 5-0 advantage, and Seattle struck for five unearned runs in the third to chase Garland.

With Richie Sexson on first and two outs in the third, Jamie Burke hit a grounder to shortstop that Juan Uribe bobbled for an error. Yuniesky Betancourt doubled in one run and Suzuki hit a two-run single and scored on a wild pitch by reliever Ryan Bukvich.

Bukvich walked the next three batters to force in the run that gave the Mariners a 10-2 lead.

A run-scoring single by Scott Podsednik and a groundout by Danny Richar accounted for two of Chicago's runs in the fourth, and a solo home run by Josh Fields in the fifth cut the lead to 10-5.

But the Mariners added another run for an 11-5 lead on Suzuki's fifth-inning leadoff triple and Guillen's sacrifice fly.

Toby Hall had two hits for the White Sox, who have lost eight in a row for the first time since May 15-23, 2001.

"Overall, it was a bad road trip," Guillen admitted. "When you go on a road trip and your closer only shows up in one game, that's how badly we played. It's really frustrating."