BALTIMORE – Ramon Hernandez broke out of a hitless funk by going 3-for-4 with a home run, and the Baltimore Orioles also got homers from Kevin Millar and Melvin Mora in a 7-4 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night.
Luis Hernandez drove in two runs for the Orioles (2-1), who climbed over .500 for the first time since last April 25, when they were 11-10.
After going 0-for-7 in his first two games, Hernandez got a pair of singles before hitting a solo shot off Cha Seung Baek to make it 4-2 in the sixth inning. Mora added a two-run drive in the seventh off Baek.
Hernandez also reached in the seventh when Roy Corcoran threw a wild pitch on a third strike, allowing a run to score.
Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson each hit two-run homers for the Mariners, playing their first road game after taking two of three from Texas. Beltre gave Seattle a 2-1 lead in the fourth, and Sexson homered off Greg Aquino in the ninth.
Former Mariners reliever George Sherrill, now Baltimore’s closer, got the final two outs for his second save.
Orioles starter Steve Trachsel (1-0) gave up two runs and four hits in 5 2-3 innings. He outdid Seattle’s Jarrod Washburn (0-1), who allowed three runs and six hits in five innings.
A sacrifice fly by Luis Hernandez put the Orioles up 1-0 in the second inning. Trachsel was cruising until the fourth, when Sexson hit a one-out double and Beltre followed with a no-doubt shot to left.
In the bottom half, Luis Hernandez tied it with another sacrifice fly. This one came on a liner to left, and Ramon Hernandez plodded home while the throw from left fielder Raul Ibanez was cut off.
Millar put Baltimore ahead 3-2 in the fifth with his first homer, a drive that barely cleared the left-field wall at the base of the foul pole.
Notes: Baltimore already has half as many wins as it had all last season against Seattle. … The Mariners’ bullpen has allowed nine earned runs in 11 innings this season. … Ichiro Suzuki went 0-for-4. He came in with a career batting average of .387 against Baltimore. … The Orioles bullpen had gone 11 innings without allowing a run before the ninth.
AP-ES-04-04-08 2221EDT
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