Detroit, MI (Sports Network) – Justin Smoak hit a three-run homer and finished with five RBI, as the Seattle Mariners exploded for a 10-1 win over Detroit in the middle game of a three-game series.
Smoak also had a home run on Tuesday in his first game back from a week on the bereavement list, leading the Mariners to a 7-3 win in the opener. Miguel Olivo had three hits, two runs scored and an RBI in the win.
Eric Bedard (1-4) had a nice showing, allowing just one run on five hits with three strikeouts in seven innings for Seattle.
Miguel Cabrera drove in the lone run for the Tigers, who have dropped two straight to break up a four-game win streak.
Detroit starter Justin Verlander (2-3) got the loss, allowing four runs — three earned — on five hits while fanning eight in six frames.
Seattle had a big first inning thanks to Smoak’s three-run bomb that went deep over the left-center fence.
The Tigers got a run back during the home half of the first on Cabrera’s RBI double that one-bounced off the left-field wall, but the team could not conjure much offense after that.
Earlier in the inning, Verlander found himself in trouble by putting runners on second and third with one out. Olivo then lifted a sacrifice fly to right field, plating Suzuki for a 4-1 game. Detroit’s ace was able to pitch himself out of the inning with strikeout to Jack Cust.
Bedard got into a bit of trouble in the fifth with back-to-back singles from Brandon Inge and Alex Avila with one out, but Bedard got the next two outs to get out of the inning.
The Mariners put the game out of reach with a six-run ninth. Suzuki had an RBI single and scored on a Chone Figgins grounder up the middle. Smoak chipped in two runs with a single that let Figgins and Milton Bradley cross home. The next batter, Cust, then had an RBI double and Smoak touched home to finish out the rally on an Adam Kennedy ground out.
Bedard improved to 2-3 lifetime against the Tigers in five starts…Detroit took two of three from the Mariners last week…Seattle finished 7-for-15 with runners in scoring position.