SEATTLE (AP) – Freddy Garcia gave up a season-high eight runs in 4 1-3 innings and the Seattle Mariners beat the Chicago White Sox 9-2 on Sunday.

After flirting with a no-hitter in his previous start, Garcia (11-7) made his shortest outing of the season, leaving after the last-place Mariners scored three runs in the fifth to take an 8-2 lead.

Garcia, who pitched with Seattle from 1999-2004, dropped to 0-3 with an 8.35 ERA against his former team this year. He made his first start at Safeco Field since being traded June 27, 2004.

Garcia pitched a one-hitter against Minnesota on Tuesday night, but lost 1-0 on Jacque Jones’ homer in the eighth.

Against Seattle, Garcia gave up 11 hits, walked two and threw two wild pitches while striking out four. It was his shortest start since he lasted 4 1-3 innings for the White Sox against Detroit on Aug. 17, 2004.

Jamie Moyer (11-5) improved his record at home to 8-0 this season and reserve Dave Hansen came off the bench for Richie Sexson to hit a home run as the Mariners avoided getting swept at home by the AL Central leaders for the first time since July 30-Aug. 1, 1993.

Moyer hasn’t lost in Seattle since Oct. 2, 2004.

The 42-year-old lefty took a hard tumble in the opening inning when he was late covering first on Pablo Ozuna’s bunt. Sexson shuffled the ball to Moyer, who fell when Ozuna tripped him during a head-first slide.

Moyer went seven innings, allowing two runs on six hits, with no walks and four strikeouts. After leading the majors in homers allowed last season with 44, Moyer has given up 16 this season.

The Mariners took a 2-1 lead in the bottom half of the first on Willie Bloomquist’s RBI single and a wild pitch by Garcia that scored Bloomquist from third.

In the second, Seattle made it 5-1 on Yorvit Torrealba’s RBI double and run-scoring singles by Ichiro Suzuki and Hansen, who came in for Sexson in the second after Sexson complained of blurred vision in his right eye.

In the fifth, Hansen led off with a 417-foot homer to right for his second homer of the season, Jeremy Reed had an RBI single and Suzuki had a fielder’s choice RBI. Mike Morse singled in a run for the Mariners in the sixth.

The White Sox got an RBI double from Paul Konerko in the first and Aaron Rowand hit a run-scoring triple in the fourth.

Notes: After the game, the White Sox optioned OF Brian Anderson to Triple-A Charlotte. Chicago will activate OF Scott Podsednik, who has been on the disabled list since Aug. 13 with a strained left groin. … Sexson struck out swinging in the first for his 139th strikeout of the season, tops in the majors. He leads the Mariners with 32 homers and 95 RBIs. … Adrian Beltre of the Mariners came out of the game in the fifth with a bruised right knee. … Rowand had an infield single in the first in addition to his triple in the fourth. He came into the game 0-for-14 and in a 3-for-37 slump.

AP-ES-08-28-05 1902EDT


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