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Meche, Hernandez each leave early as Mariners pound Royals

May 26, 2007 - 6:46 AM KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Ticker) -- The Seattle Mariners beat up on former teammate Gil Meche. However, in this one both teams absorbed losses.

Ichiro Suzuki and Jose Vidro each homered and drove in a pair of runs as the Mariners blasted the Kansas City Royals, 10-2, in the first game of a three-game series on Friday.

The Mariners' enthusiasm was tempered when 21-year-old phenom Felix Hernandez left in the sixth inning with stiffness in his back. One inning earlier, the Royals lost Meche to the same injury.

Hernandez (3-2), who was making his third start after recovering from a right elbow injury that forced him to the disabled list on April 23, allowed two runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings with five strikeouts and two walks and left with an 8-0 lead.

"I just sent Chavey (pitching coach Rafael Chaves) out there because it looked like he was over throwing and there was no reason to," Mariners manager Mike Hargrove said.

"I sent him out there to settle him down and get him back in rhythm and then he motioned me out there and my heart stopped along with everybody else's. But it turned out it was long innings, he had long sits and his back got tight. I'd rather be safe than sorry. He wasn't real happy. It (conversation) started out in Spanish and I ended it in English."

Hernandez said he wanted to remain in the game, but Hargrove had the final say.

"With long innings I just sat there," Hernandez said. "My back felt a little bit tight. When Hargrove came out, he said, You're coming out.' I said no, I feel fine, but he said no, you're coming out. I said, let me pitch, let me pitch, I feel fine. I'm not the kind of pitcher who likes to throw five innings and come out of the game. I like to stay in the game longer and give the bullpen a rest."

"I had pretty good command this time of my fastball, my breaking ball and all my pitches. "I left with an eight-run lead, so I'll just get ready for next time."

Sean Green relieved Hernandez and threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings. George Sherrill worked a perfect eighth and Jon Huber closed out the ninth for the Mariners, who have won three of four.

Meanwhile, Seattle got to Meche early. Suzuki led off the game with a solo homer to right field - his fourth of the season - and Richie Sexson had an RBI double later in the frame for the Mariners, who hit a season-high seven doubles.

With the homer, Suzuki extended his hitting streak to 18 games and his hitting .434 (33-for-76) during that stretch.

"We wanted to pitch him in," Meche said. "I've seen him pull balls to lead off for homers and we wanted to pitch him in. I didn't get it enough and he got it. Then he hit a curveball almost in the dirt in the second. They can hit. ... it didn't help that I wasn't 100 percent."

Vidro continued the Seattle hit parade by hitting his fourth homer of the season - a solo shot to right in the sixth - off Greinke that made the score 8-0, as Seattle scored two in the fourth, two in the fifth and three in the sixth.

Five Mariners had two hits as they racked up 18 hits in back to back games for only the fourth time in club history.

"We swung the bats pretty good," Vidro said. "We came out with the same approach we had the last two days in Tampa Bay and it worked."

In his worst start of the season, Meche (3-3) allowed seven runs and 11 hits in 4 1/3 innings against his former team and said the injury had a lot to do with his ineffectiveness.

"It's my gluteus muscle, all the way to my back," Meche said of his injury.

"I felt it in the second inning on the first pitch to Ichiro. I was trying to stretch it out and never got to a point where I could extend my delivery, and being a power pitcher that kind of limits you. I couldn't push off the mound. The velocity was off."

Royals manager Buddy Bell gave his perspective on Meche's terrible outing.

"He was in the middle of the plate way too much and against a team like this, you can't afford to do that," Bell said. "They've got a good very good offensive ball club. They've got some guys that can hurt you."

Raul Ibanez, who missed six of the last seven games with back pain, had two doubles, drove in a run and scored three times for the Mariners, who recorded a season-high seven doubles.

"We went out there with a plan," Ibanez said. "We had discussed what we were going to do this time around against him (Meche) and we got his pitch count up to the 50s in the third or fourth inning. I think that might have been a factor."

Shane Costa had an RBI triple and rookie Alex Gordon drove in a run with a double for Kansas City, which fell to a league-worst 9-16 at home.