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Beltre's homer carries Mariners past Indians

Apr 30, 2008 - 3:44 AM By Todd Krepop PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

CLEVELAND (Ticker) -- The Seattle Mariners finally had the big inning they've been waiting for all season.

Adrian Beltre belted a three-run home run in the ninth inning to lead the Mariners to a 7-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night.

After squandering a 2-1 lead in the eighth, Seattle sent 11 men to the plate in the five-run ninth to start their six-game road trip on a positive note.

"We have been waiting for a big inning like this all year," Mariners' manager John McLaren said. "Hopefully this will jump-start us."

Jose Lopez and Raul Ibanez greeted Indians closer Rafael Betancourt (1-1) with consecutive singles to start the ninth. Beltre, who reached base in all five plate appearances, took a pitch for a strike before going the other way for his fifth home run of the season.

"It was a fastball away," Beltre said. "I was looking for anything I could hit."

Yuniesky Betancourt capped the scoring with a two-out, two-run single.

Even with the ninth-inning outburst, McLaren still isn't happy with his team's rough start to the season.

"We're getting impatient," he said. "We've given these guys a lot of opportunities. Hopefully this will do something for us."

Expectations were high to start the season after the Mariners added Erik Bedard and Carlos Silva to the rotation, but Seattle is looking up at the Oakland Athletics and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim as the month of April comes to a close.

"I don't know why anyone should be panicking," Beltre said. "The first month is always tough."

Seattle's Mark Lowe (1-1) retired Jhonny Peralta with a runner on second in the eighth and pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up the win.

Cleveland tied the game at 2-2 on Travis Hafner's RBI groundout. Hafner hit a soft grounder just past the mound to score Grady Sizemore, who had led off the inning with a single and went to third on David Dellucci's single that chased Seattle starter Carlos Silva from the game.

But Cleveland couldn't score Dellucci from second, opening the door for the Mariners in the ninth.

"It's always frustrating when you lose," Hafner said. "We had a chance in the eighth inning. It would have been nice to come out of that inning with the lead."

Silva allowed consecutive doubles to start the game as the Indians jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead, but he quickly settled down. The 29-year-old righthander allowed two runs on seven hits in seven innings. He walked one and struck out three.

"I felt really good with my command," Silva said. "I felt like I pitched a good game. I just try to keep the game close and give my team a chance."

Indians starter Fausto Carmona pitched well again but received little support from his offense. Carmona allowed two runs - one earned - on eight hits in 6 2/3 innings, but couldn't find a way to get Jose Vidro out.

Vidro had a pair of RBI doubles - in the third and fifth - for his seventh multi-RBI game of the season, most among designated hitters.