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Washburn, Mariners stymie Rays

Apr 10, 2008 - 2:49 AM ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (Ticker) -- Jarrod Washburn probably wishes he could make every start at Tropicana Field.

Washburn allowed only one run in seven strong innings and Adrian Beltre and Jamie Burke hit home runs as the Seattle Mariners routed the Tampa Bay Rays, 7-1, on Wednesday.

Washburn (1-1) is 6-1 in seven starts at Tampa Bay and has a 1.89 ERA against the Rays, the best ERA in Tropicana Field history among starting pitchers with at least seven starts.

"It's funny how stuff like that works out," Washburn said.

In his second start of the season, the lefthander allowed just one run and six hits. He struck out two and walked one.

"He was extremely solid," Seattle manager John McLaren said. "He kept them off-balance. He had a real good feel tonight."

Seattle backed Washburn's pitching by scoring a season-high seven runs. Beltre and Burke each had two hits.

Burke hit a three-run homer in the eighth, only the second of his major League career, and tied his career high with three RBI.

"I guessed more than anything and I was able to keep it fair," Burke said. "I don't know how I did it. I haven't hit enough in the big leagues to know if it was gone or not."

Seattle took a 2-0 lead in the third on Ichiro Suzuki's RBI double and Jose Lopez's sacrifice fly.

After the Rays' lone run in the third, the Mariners added a run each in the fifth on Beltre's homer and sixth on Jose Vidro's RBI single.

In the seventh, Tampa Bay's Willy Aybar led off the seventh with a double. However, he was thrown out at home, trying to score on Jason Bartlett's single, by left fielder Raul Ibanez.

Burke then hit his three-run homer an inning later to give Seattle a six-run lead. The Mariners' previous three games were each decided by one run.

"It was nice to give the guys a chance to pitch and not have every pitch be magnified," McLaren said.

Andy Sonnanstine (1-1) allowed seven hits and four runs in six innings.

"I felt like I did all right," Sonnanstine said. "I felt like I gave the team a chance to win. I wanted to be the stopper and stop the little skid we have."

Aybar had three of Tampa Bay's eight hits.

"Aybar gave me trouble," Washburn said. "I couldn't get him out."

Since starting 3-1, the Rays have lost four consecutive games and for the second consecutive day the team placed another starter on the disabled list.

Outfielder-designated hitter Cliff Floyd (right knee) went on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday a day after starting righthanded pitcher Matt Garza (radial nerve irritation) went on the DL.

"We just obviously need to do more offensively," Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. "You always tend to look flat when you don't have any offense going. I think guys are trying to do too much right now."