• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Rain, Mariners' offense swamp Tigers

May 10, 2007 - 5:01 AM DETROIT (Ticker) -- After rain delayed the start of the game for well over an hour, the Detroit Tigers saw their long winning streak flooded by the offense of the Seattle Mariners.

Jose Guillen homered and Cha Seung Baek pitched his first career complete game as the Mariners downed the Tigers, 9-2, on Wednesday, ending Detroit's eight-game winning streak.

Following a 96-minute delay, the Seattle offense started hitting on all cylinders in the fourth inning. With the Mariners trailing, 2-0, and managing just one hit off Detroit starter Nate Robertson (3-2), Guillen followed singles from Raul Ibanez and Richie Sexson with a three-run blast to deep right to put the Mariners ahead, 3-2.

"Guillen's homer was huge," Ibanez said. "It came off a tough pitcher in Robertson and gave us a big lift to get the lead early."

Guillen later plated his fourth run in the sixth, marking his first four-RBI effort since April 13, 2005.

Baek (1-0) overcame a home run to Curtis Granderson - the first batter he faced - and held the potent Tigers in check, yielding two runs and six hits with four strikeouts.

"I didn't give up after giving up those two early runs," Baek said. "I focused on my fastball and throwing strikes. My change of speed was excellent and I felt I got stronger as the game went on."

"I think he settled in," Granderson said. "He definitely had his changeup working and he was able to go ahead and get a lot of quick outs, keep his pitch count down so he could stay in the ball game. I think he just learned us and kept getting going and momentum stayed in his favor."

The Korean righthander benefited from some strong run support once again. Seattle is averaging well over eight runs a game in his four outings and improved to 4-0 in the games in which he has started.

Clinging to a 3-2 advantage in the fifth inning, Ibanez delivered an RBI double that sparked a three-run frame for Seattle, knocking Robertson out after just 4 2/3 innings, his shortest outing of the season.

"We have been swinging the bats well for the last week," Ibanez said. "But we had nothing to show for it. Tonight, they fell in."

The Tigers' lefthander surrendered six runs and 10 hits - both season highs - to the Mariners, who have won 10 of their last 15 contests.

"I got up in the zone a couple pitches," Robertson said. "The swing that Guillen put on it was just a fastball that was up, popped out of the yard.

"I kind of let a slider spin to lead things off with Ibanez and left a changeup over the middle with Sexson. They're an aggressive-swinging team. The big thing was I left a couple of 0-2 pitches when I had guys right where I wanted them."

Ibanez's run-scoring two-bagger was the first of four RBI doubles that Seattle put together over the course of the fifth and sixth frames.

"They've scored 16 runs in two games against us," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "This is a real good team. They were probably out of sync a little earlier because they had weather problems in Cleveland and everything. This is a very, very good team."

Ibanez had three hits and Sexson added two to hike his average to .462 (6-for-13) against Robertson.

"Sexson been swinging the bat good of late," Mariners manager Mike Hargrove said. "He has to feel real good about himself tonight. But he still has a way to go."

Granderson hit his eighth career leadoff home run and his second of the season for the Tigers, who were attempting to match their longest winning streak since a nine-game stretch from May 14-24, 1984, the last year Detroit won the World Series.

"Eventually it was (win streak going to end)," Granderson said. "The good thing is we get a chance to come back tomorrow and hopefully start another one."