Felix Hernandez
Ichiro Suzuki's leadoff solo home run was all the offense the Mariners would get Thursday afternoon at Safeco Field.
Thanks to another oustanding outing from Felix Hernandez, it was all the Mariners would need.
Hernandez (3-0) allowed four hits in seven scoreless innings to give the Mariners a 1-0 win against the Tampa Bay Rays.
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Hernandez lowered his ERA to 3.12. With seven strikeouts and three walks, his K/BB is now 27/9.
David Aardsma worked a perfect eighth inning before another eventful ninth.
After inducing a leadoff groundout, Brandon Morrow walked Pat Burrell. It was Morrow's seventh walk in 6 2/3 innings. A wild pitch allowed pinch-runner Gabe Kapler to advance to second. After Ben Zobrist popped out, Dioner Navarro battled Morrow, fouling off several pitches before lining out to center field to end the game. The save was Morrow's fifth of the season.
Game Notes: Injuries to Mike Sweeney and Russell Branyan forced Jamie Burke make his first career start at first base. He made on of the Mariners three errors. Ichiro's home run was the 28th leadoff home run of his career.
Reach Brady Henderson at nextseasonsports@gmail.com
