| |
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
GAME LOG
SEATTLE (AP) -- With the spectacular catch Stan Javier made,
Seattle manager Lou Piniella had no trouble finding which aspect of
his team's game to credit for the win.
|  | | Seattle's Stan Javier robbed Phil Nevin of a homer in the seventh inning, and then caught the ball in the field of play. |
Alex Rodriguez tripled, doubled and drove in two runs as the
Seattle Mariners, helped by a highlight catch by Javier, beat the
San Diego Padres 6-4 on Sunday.
"Defense won this game," said Mariners manager Lou Piniella.
"I won't talk about the offense, but the defense was
outstanding."
Seattle only managed five hits in the game.
Rodriguez also scored twice to extend his AL-leading total to 55
runs scored for the Mariners, who were helped by right fielder
Javier's home-run saving grab in the seventh inning.
With two outs and one on, Phil Nevin hit a long shot to right
but Javier leapt, extended his glove over the fence, flipped the
ball back into play, and caught it while sitting on the ground to
preserve a 5-1 lead.
"I thought the ball was in my glove, but I looked up and it was
coming down right behind me," Javier said. "It was a lucky catch.
It just came down where I was coming down and I grabbed it."
Javier said it was the best catch of his 15-year major league
career.
"He hit it high enough where I had a chance to time my jump,"
Javier said. "I wasn't sure how far it was going to carry."
Even Nevin was impressed by the catch.
"It was a great catch all the way around," Nevin said. "He
showed great concentration. I don't know what else to say. It
changed the game. We lose by two. It was huge because we had a
runner on."
San Diego's Brian Meadows (4-5) walked four batters in the first
three innings -- they all scored -- and fell behind 3-0 before
recording an out.
Rickey Henderson led off the game for Seattle with a walk and
stole second. After Mike Cameron walked, Rodriguez followed with a
two-run double to left-center. Edgar Martinez hit an RBI double
that made it 3-0.
With two outs in the third, Meadows' control and San Diego's
fielding came back to hurt the Padres.
John Olerud and Javier walked before Tom Lampkin lifted a deep
drive to the left-field warning track. The ball went off Al
Martin's glove for a two-base error that allowed Olerud and Javier
to come home and up the score to 5-0.
Meadows escaped the inning without any further damage as Martin
made a diving catch of Mark McLemore's liner to left-center for the
third out.
Paul Abbott (2-2) allowed one unearned run and seven hits over 5
1/3 innings to get the win.
Abbott left after walking Ruben Rivera and Gonzalez to load the
bases with one out in the sixth. But Jose Paniagua got pinch-hitter
Dave Magadan to hit into a 3-6-1 double play to end the threat.
Although Abbott managed to win his first game since May 9, he
was not too impressed with his performance.
"I got ahead in the count early, but I really didn't have much
at all with my change-up," Abbott said. "It was actually
terrible."
The Padres rallied with three runs in the ninth inning on an RBI
triple by Eric Owens and a two-run homer by Martin.
Meadows allowed five runs -- three earned -- four hits and six
walks in 4 1/3 innings.
Seattle added its sixth run of the game as Olerud followed
Rodriguez's triple with a sacrifice fly to center.
Nevin was ejected in the seventh inning by home plate umpire
Paul Schrieber for arguing with third base umpire Terry Craft that
Rodriguez should have been called out at third on his triple.
"I thought I was safe," Rodriguez said.
Nevin had a different view of the play.
"He was out. There is no question about it," Nevin said.
The win moved the Mariners past Oakland into first place in the
AL West.
Game
notes
The first has been the Mariners' most productive inning of
the year. With three runs in the first, they have now outscored
their opponent 53-29. ... Seattle is 7-10 in interleague games with
the Padres. ... The Mariners lead the AL in receiving intentional
walks with 16. ... Olerud walked twice and leads the AL with 44.
... The Padres placed RHP Donne Wall on the 15-day DL with
tendinitis in his right shoulder. They recalled RHP Brandon Kolb
from Triple-A Las Vegas. ... Tony Gwynn was 4-for-14 in the series
as a DH, making him 10-for-49 (.204) lifetime as a DH.
| |
ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
San Diego Clubhouse
Seattle Clubhouse
RECAPS
NY Yankees 7
Atlanta 6
Tampa Bay 15
NY Mets 5
Cincinnati 3
Minnesota 2
Montreal 1
Baltimore 0
Philadelphia 6
Boston 5
Kansas City 7
Pittsburgh 5
Cleveland 3
St. Louis 2
Detroit 3
Chicago Cubs 2
Chi. White Sox 7
Houston 3
Anaheim 8
Los Angeles 7
Toronto 7
Florida 2
San Francisco 18
Oakland 2
Seattle 6
San Diego 4
Texas 7
Arizona 6
Colorado 7
Milwaukee 1
|
