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Dickey strong, Mariners pound Perez in rout of Mets

Jun 25, 2008 - 3:36 AM By Doug Mittler PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

FLUSHING, New York (Ticker) -- The New York Mets could do next to nothing against the knuckleball of R.A. Dickey. The pitches from Oliver Perez and Claudio Vargas must have looked like beach balls to the Seattle Mariners.

Dickey pitched seven scoreless innings for his first win as a starter in 33 months and Kenji Johjima and Raul Ibanez homered for the Mariners in their most lopsided win of the season, an 11-0 triumph over the Mets on Tuesday.

Ibanez and Richie Sexson each drove in three runs for the Mariners, who improved to 3-2 under new manager Jim Riggleman and will try to complete a sweep of the three-game series Wednesday.

"We had a lot of good at-bats," said Riggleman, whose team tied a season high with 15 hits. "Maybe it was a little more like everyone expected from the beginning of the season."

Meanwhile, the Mets fell to 3-4 under interim manager Jerry Manuel, who was ejected along with outfielder Carlos Beltran in the fourth inning by umpire Brian Runge in an argument over balls and strikes.

"I thought Mr. Runge was kind of baiting Carlos, so I went out to see if everything was OK," Manuel said. "Things got heated and you saw what happened."

Runge appeared to bump Manuel during their argument, prompting an outburst from Beltran.

"(Runge) really bumped Jerry to give him an excuse to throw him out of the game," said the usually mild-mannered Beltran. "That was weak, the move that he did. This is the first time I've been so angry in my career."

New York was shut out by a double-digit margin for the first time since September 2006 against Atlanta, and at home for the first time since August 2001 against Colorado.

Fernando Tatis had three hits for New York while starting in place of third baseman David Wright, who got a well-deserved rest. He was the only player in baseball to play in every inning this season, although one of the games was as a designated hitter last week in Anaheim.

Wright's teammates were baffled by Dickey (2-3), who scattered six hits with two walks and five strikeouts.

The 33-year-old Dickey won as a starter for the first time since September 18, 2005, for the Texas Rangers against Seattle. It was just his second win in a 19-start span for the righthander, who was making his fourth start of the season and 38th of his career.

"I had a good knuckleball. I was able to take the spin off it," Dickey said. "I've been jerked around from place to place (from starting to relieving). It takes a lot of mental fortitude."

Mark Lowe pitched the final two innings.

Perez (5-5) has been the model of inconsistency all season, and this was another of his off-nights. The lefthander lasted just five innings, allowing six runs - five earned - and seven hits to a team that entered the game with the fewest runs scored in the American League.

"It was a bad day. I couldn't do anything," Perez said. "I have to focus on the next start and get ready."

"There is definitely some concern about his struggles," Manuel said. "We are going to have to seriously address it."

Johjima hit a two-run homer in the third to score Sexson, who had singled, and Ibanez homered to lead off the fifth, giving Seattle a 6-0 cushion.

Seattle scored four runs in the sixth off Vargas on an RBI single by Ichiro Suzuki, a two-run single by Ibanez and the second sacrifice fly by Sexson, who added an RBI double in the ninth.