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Gorzelanny strong again as Pirates down Mariners

Jun 20, 2007 - 7:08 AM SEATTLE (Ticker) -- For the Pittsburgh Pirates, first impressions apparently mean everything.

Tom Gorzelanny went seven innings to lead the Pirates to their first victory over the Seattle Mariners, 5-3, on Tuesday.

With the victory, Pittsburgh improved to 13-4 in their last 17 series-opening games. The Pirates played for the first time at Safeco Field and handed the slumping Mariners their season-high sixth consecutive loss.

Pittsburgh was swept in three games the only other time they faced the Mariners - at PNC Park in 2004.

Gorzelanny (7-4) allowed eight hits and struck out six without walking a batter as he won for the first time since May 29, following two no-decisions and a loss. The outing marked the 19th time in 23 starts the lefthander has lasted at least six frames.

But he admitted that after throwing 123 pitches, he was done.

"I had absolutely zero left," Gorzelanny said. "There was nothing left in the tank. I was on empty."

Gorzelanny had dropped his last outing against Texas on June 14, allowing five runs on seven hits in seven innings. This time around, things went much better.

"You go out there and get hit around a little bit last time and you get anxious to go out there again," Gorzelanny said. "You do whatever you can to right the ship and I was able to do that. Overall, I felt it was a good performance."

Four relievers each recorded an out apiece before handing the ball over to de facto closer Shawn Chacon. He was taking the place of regular closer Matt Capps, suspended for three games Monday by Major League Baseball.

The righthander struck out both batters he faced to record his first save since September 22, 2004, when he was still a member of the Colorado Rockies.

"It feels good," Chacon said of his closer role. "It doesn't feel any different. It's all pitching. But I love it. It's more exciting, definitely. You get a chance to put the finishing point on a game and when you do it, it's one of the best feelings."

And one of the happiest guys in the Pirates dugout was manager Jim Tracy.

"Great job by Chacon," Pirates manager Jim Tracy said. "He did a terrific job to shut that inning down."

A fielding error by first baseman Richie Sexson - his first of the year - and a streak of wildness by Miguel Batista led to a pair of unearned runs and a 2-0 Pirates lead in the first.

Batista (7-6) languished through 35 pitches in the opening frame.

With one out, Nate McLouth lined a shot off Sexson's glove down the right field line for a two-base error. Adam LaRoche's two-out single plated McLouth and Jason Bay's single put runners at first and second. Batista then walked Xavier Nady and Ryan Doumit to force in a run.

Pittsburgh increased its lead to 3-1 in the fifth when Jose Bautista led off with a single, stole second and scored on Freddie Sanchez's double.

Batista lasted 5 1/3 innings before leaving with the bases loaded. He surrendered four runs - two earned - and six hits with four walks and a season-high seven strikeouts.

Ichiro Suzuki went 2-for-4 and extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a run-scoring single in the second to score Kenji Johjima and cut the Pirates' lead to 2-1.

Adrian Beltre and Sexson each recorded two hits for the Mariners, who have dropped six straight after a five-game winning streak. One of Sexson's hits was his 11th home run, a solo shot into the second deck in left field in the eighth inning.

Mariners manager Mike Hargrove declined to meet with the media following the game after his club remained in third place in the American League West, seven games behind the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

"It's already gone," said the Mariners' Ben Broussard referring to the club's six-game losing streak. "It's already happened. That's the way you've got to look at it in baseball. It's kind of a roller coaster. You just have to keep working hard."