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Bedard, Ibanez help Mariners top Tigers

Jul 5, 2008 - 12:21 AM By Paul Lowenberg PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

SEATTLE (Ticker) -- Erik Bedard and Raul Ibanez helped slow down the Detroit Tigers' recent domination over the Seattle Mariners.

Bedard pitched five excellent innings and Ibanez hit a tiebreaking home run to lead the Mariners to a 4-1 victory over the Tigers on Friday.

Jose Lopez also hit two-run double for Seattle, which won for just the second time in eight games against Detroit in 2008.

The Tigers, who have lost three of four following a six-game winning streak, suffered just their fifth loss in their last 15 games at Safeco Field.

Bedard (6-4) yielded a run, five hits and three walks while striking six en route to posting his second consecutive win. His only mistake was a leadoff homer by Miguel Cabrera in the top of the second.

"Erik did a heck of a job," Mariners manager Jim Riggleman said. "The Tigers are a great hitting ballclub and they make you throw a lot of pitches. Erik threw many pitches that were very close to the strike zone. A lot of teams would have taken a cut at some of those pitches, which would have kept his pitch count down."

The lefthander, who departed after throwing 58 of his 99 pitches for strikes, has not allowed more than two runs in his last five starts.

Seattle reliever Sean Green allowed just two hits in 2 2/3 innings before Brandon Morrow came on to record the final out in the eighth. Morrow then retired the side in order in the ninth to notch his sixth save.

"We did not play the way we were capable of," said Tigers catcher Ivan Rodriguez, who was tossed out of the game by plate umpire Brian Knight for arguing balls and strikes in the ninth inning. "Bedard pitched great and then Green came out and pitched well."

After the Mariners tied the score at 1-1 in the third on Yuniesky Betancourt's sacrifice fly, Ibanez put the home team ahead for good an inning later.

With one out in the fourth, Ibanez deposited a 3-2 pitch from Kenny Rogers (6-6) over the right-field wall to put the Mariners in front.

"He (Rogers) still looks good," Ibanez said. "He knows how to pitch and he's mastered his craft. So, he's tough."

It was his 10th homer of the season.

Rogers allowed just two runs and four hits over his first seven innings before surrendering a two-out, two-run double to Lopez in the eighth. Overall, the 43-year-old lefthander gave up four runs and six hits with two walks to fall to 0-4 in his last four starts here.

"Really, I thought Kenny pitched tremendous," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "I just left him in there too long and that was by design. He pitched well enough that he deserved a chance to get out of the jam in the eighth, but I knew I probably should have come and got him."