Thursday, August 01, 2002
Mariners 5, Tigers 2
The Associated Press
SEATTLE — Bret Boone never felt right in the first half of the season and he isn't sure why. He's finally starting to feel more like his old self now — the one who hit 37 home runs in 2001 and drove in 141 runs in the best offensive season by an AL second baseman in baseball history. Boone hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning Wednesday night as Seattle beat Detroit 5-2 for the Mariners' first three-game home sweep of the Tigers in 13 years.
Boone now has three homers and 14 RBIs since the All-Star break. He was 0-for-5 in Tuesday's 5-4 win and had trouble seeing the ball.
He said he erased that game from his mind.
“Day in and day out I've come to the park and gotten into the box and I feel good,” Boone said of his recent play. “The first half of the season it was hit or miss, I didn't know. It'd be day to day. Some days I'd feel good and some days I'd feel terrible. But consistently since the break for whatever reason I've felt a lot better.”
The Mariners moved two games ahead of Anaheim in the American League West race when the Angels lost at home 2-1 to the Boston Red Sox.
Boone hit his 15th homer of the season on the first pitch he saw from starter Brian Powell (1-1), a fastball away. The two-out shot to the right-field bleachers scored Carlos Guillen, who led off with a single, and John Olerud, who walked with two outs before Boone came to the plate.
“He's getting locked back in,” teammate Desi Relaford said. “It's a big boost for us because our offense has been sick. We need a few guys on our team looking for redemption. Maybe he can catapult us.”
The Mariners added an unearned run in the eighth when pinch-runner Luis Ugueto scored on center fielder George Lombard's throwing error.
Seattle helped James Baldwin (7-7) finish July on a positive note. He was 0-1 in his previous four starts, including Seattle's 8-0 loss to Anaheim last Friday.
On Wednesday, Baldwin gave up six hits in eight innings, striking out seven and walking two in his longest outing of the season — and one of his best efforts all year according to manager Lou Piniella. Kazuhiro Sasaki pitched the ninth for his 28th save in 31 opportunities.
“Every outing is important around here, especially with the tight race we're in,” Baldwin said.
He allowed a two-run double off the wall in right-center to Bobby Higginson in the third inning for a 2-1 Detroit lead. Higginson fouled off five pitches in his 11-pitch at-bat.
Edgar Martinez scored in the second on Dan Wilson's groundout to shortstop to give Seattle a 1-0 lead. Martinez was 6-for-10 in the series and is 11-for-26 through the ninth game of the team's 13-game homestand.
Powell, a right-hander, returned to the Tigers' rotation Friday after they purchased his contract from Triple-A Toledo. He won his first start Friday at Cleveland, his first victory in the majors since Sept. 15, 2000, in relief with Houston.
He said he threw a bad pitch to Boone.
“I left it up,” he said. “Worse than that, it was bad timing with a couple guys on.”
The Tigers led in each game and lost all three by a combined five runs.
“I can't wait to leave town,” manager Luis Pujols said. “We came away empty handed.”
Notes: The Tigers sent RHP Terry Pearson outright to Erie of the Eastern League. ... Mike Cameron had two of Seattle's four stolen bases a night after he was caught stealing twice. ... Boone's three RBIs gave him a team-leading 67 for the season. ... Boone was 2-for-11 in the series. ... Detroit had two errors in the eighth, giving the Tigers 86 for the year, second most in the AL. The Royals, who lead the league with 88, committed two Wednesday night. ... Ichiro Suzuki was intentionally walked in the eighth and now leads the AL with 20.
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Mariners 5, Tigers 2 
