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Lopez's single helps Mariners snap skid

May 28, 2008 - 6:39 AM SEATTLE (Ticker) -- Manny Ramirez inched closer to history, but it was the Seattle Mariners who finally pulled out a win on Tuesday.

Jose Lopez drove in the winning run with a single in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Mariners to a 4-3 win over the Boston Red Sox, snapping a season-high seven-game losing streak.

Miguel Batista allowed three runs - two earned - in seven innings and J.J. Putz (2-2) earned the win with a scoreless ninth for Seattle.

"It was quite a game," Mariners manager John McLaren said. "Batista really stepped forward and really gave us a great start. And there's always something special about a walk-off. I just wanted a win for everybody."

With runners on second and third, Lopez drove a line drive off Mike Timlin (2-3) past third baseman Mike Lowell and just inside the foul line to plate Wladimir Balentien with the winning run.

"At the end I threw a decent pitch and got beat, that's all there is," Timlin said. "It was a ball on the inside part of the plate and he turned on it. My luck sucks right now. It's just frustrating. I'm throwing the ball well. I'm locating the ball well and I'm getting beat."

"I wanted to feel my body relax and take one strike," Lopez said. "I wanted to concentrate and look at the strike zone. After I got the hit I wanted to run to center field because I know my team was coming to kill me."

The Red Sox failed to score in the eighth despite putting runners on first and second with no outs. Reliever Brandon Morrow struck out Ramirez and Mike Lowell and got J.D. Drew to fly out to end the inning.

After Putz set the Red Sox down quietly in the ninth, the rookie Balentien greeted Timlin with an infield single into the hole at short on which Alex Cora could not make a play.

Cora, who entered the game in the sixth when starter Julio Lugo and manager Terry Francona were thrown out for arguing a check-swing call, knocked the ball down to keep Balentien on first. Balentien moved to second on a sacrifice and went to third on Jeremy Reed's ground out before Timlin intentionally walked Ichiro Suzuki to get to Lopez.

Boston's runs off Batista all came in the sixth, when Ramirez drove the first pitch he saw over the wall in right field for his 499th career home run. The three-run blast was the first for Ramirez since May 12 and ninth of the season.

"Manny hit a big homer, but Morrow came in and did an excellent job in the eighth inning," Varitek said. "It's good for him (Ramirez' homer) and once he gets number 500 he'll move on past it. It's been a while, but he's been swinging the bat well."

Seattle jumped out on top with a pair of runs in the first when Ichiro greeted countryman Daisuke Matsuzaka with a leadoff double and scored on a fielder's choice. Jose Vidro also drove in a run in the frame.

Matsuzaka, who entered the game with an 8-0 record, was removed in the fifth inning after he complained of a fatigued right shoulder before starting the inning. The righthander came out to warm up for the fifth before being replaced by David Aardsma.