SEATTLE (AP) -- Doug Fister has pitched enough in his career at
Safeco Field to know just how difficult it is -- even with shorter
fences -- to hit a line drive out anywhere near center field.
Miguel Cabrera made it look simple.
"That's a hard spot to hit the ball out and he did it with ease," Fister said. "That guy is such a special hitter."
Cabrera hit a two-run homer and drove in
Detroit's first four runs, Fister threw seven strong innings against
his former team, and the Tigers beat the Seattle Mariners 6-2 on Tuesday
night.
Cabrera's homer came with two outs in
the fifth inning off Seattle starter Aaron Harang and was his second of
the season. Cabrera drove a pitch off the edge of the plate out to
right-center field to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead.
Cabrera also had RBIs in the first and
seventh innings, scoring Austin Jackson both times. Jackson has 19 runs
scored in just 13 games.
"We're just feeding off each other.
Everybody's trying to go up and have good at-bats and let the results
take care of themselves," Jackson said.
It was Cabrera's second four RBI game
of the season after driving in four last week against Toronto when he
also hit his first homer of the season. Jackson and Torii Hunter both
walked with the bases loaded in the eighth to drive in runs.
"I thought we hit very well," Detroit
manager Jim Leyland said. "We took advantage of a couple of breaks and
shut them down good."
Harang was done after the fifth in his
Mariners debut. He was acquired in a trade from Colorado last week after
the Rockies designated him for assignment and took Blake Beavan's spot
in the Mariners rotation. Harang (0-1) allowed seven hits and struck out
six while throwing 95 pitches.
Harang's problems all came on
two-strike pitches. Jackson led off the game with a triple to deep
right-center on a 3-2 pitch and scored with one out when Cabrera singled
on a 0-2 pitch.
In the fifth, Harang allowed a two-out
single to Hunter. He got ahead of Cabrera 2-2 and his fastball was in a
good location just off the outside edge of the plate.
But Cabrera stayed through the pitch
and drove it 395 feet into the right-center field seats to give the
Tigers the lead. Cabrera added a single in the seventh after Jackson
reached on a one-out single and stole second base.
"When you can fight through two-strike
at-bats like that, a lot of times it wears a pitcher out," Leyland said.
"Making a pretty nasty pitch and you're fouling it off, or hitting it
pretty good somewhere and fouling it off to extend the at-bat that takes
its toll on pitchers after a point."
Detroit added runs in the eighth after
loading the bases with one out. Seattle reliever Bobby LaFromboise
struck out pinch-hitter Matt Tuiasosopo for the second out and got ahead
of Jackson.
He barely missed with a 1-2 pitch that
was inside and Jackson walked when the 3-2 pitch was outside. Yoervis
Medina entered to make his major league debut and walked Hunter on four
pitches before getting Cabrera.
Fister retired the first 10 batters in
order before giving up a one-out double to Kyle Seager in the fourth. It
was Seager's seventh double of the season. Kendrys Morales followed
with another double to right-center that scored Seager.
Michael Morse then lined a single into
center and Morales scored although the play at the plate was closer than
expected after he slowed down the last few steps.
Fister quickly got back into a grove
after Morse's single, retiring nine of the next 10 batters and not
allowing another hit until Justin Smoak's one-out single in the seventh.
Fister threw 32 pitches in the fourth inning and no more than 14 in any
other inning. Fister gave up four hits and struck out five in seven
innings.
"We've got to get the offense going.
Loosen things up around here," Seattle manager Eric Wedge said. "You get
a couple of guys going , you start to gain a little momentum and it
gives everyone a little more room to breathe and games aren't always so
tight."
Notes: The Mariners held a moment of
silence in honor of the victims of Monday's bombings in Boston. The
American flag in center field was lowered to half-staff and "Sweet
Caroline," a staple at Fenway Park, was played in the middle of the
seventh inning. ... Jackson has reached base in all 13 games this season
and scored a run in 11 of 13. ... Tigers DH Victor Martinez had his
first three-hit game of the season. He had six hits total coming into
the game.
