BOSTON – The Seattle Mariners’ offensive surge had to taper off eventually.
It did slightly Friday night at Boston, though the pitching remained steady as the Mariners won their fourth straight with a 5-4 victory over the Red Sox.
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Jason Vargas pitched seven solid innings and got his first victory of the season, and the Mariners got timely hits as they rallied from a 4-2 deficit.
“Guys are getting on base and getting hits in key situations. That’s the biggest thing,” said Justin Smoak, who drove in two runs. “It’s all about getting that hit with guys on base. Early on we weren’t doing that.”
Jack Cust hit an RBI double in the seventh to give Seattle the lead as the Mariners roughed up reliever Bobby Jenks (1-2), who was booed after allowing two runs in the inning and giving up Boston’s one-run lead.
Vargas (1-2) gave up eight hits and four runs while striking out four and walking two. It was his longest appearance this season, and he got the win for the first time since Aug. 14 at Cleveland.
“He knows how to pitch. He got a lot of our guys out in front with the changeup and then went to the fastball a little bit later,” Red Sox Manager Terry Francona said.
Brandon League picked up his sixth save as the Mariners held the Red Sox hitless after the fourth inning.
Boston starter Daisuke Matsuzaka was pulled in the fifth inning with tightness in his right elbow. Dice-K had already thrown 81 pitches before Ichiro Suzuki led off the fifth with a single. It was the first hit Matsuzaka had allowed since the first inning, but he was spotty with his control from the start, throwing 25 pitches in the first.
After scoring 24 runs in a three-game sweep at Detroit, the Mariners opened the weekend series at Boston with a much more efficient offense.
“We beat people up pretty good in Detroit and scored a few runs before we left,” Vargas said. “We’ve just been playing good baseball and getting the job done when it needs to be done.”
Mike Cameron homered twice for the Sox, who opened their 11-game homestand by losing for the third time in four games.
Matsuzaka allowed three hits and four walks, and struck out four before he was replaced by Matt Albers, whose throwing error in the sixth allowed Suzuki to score and pull the Mariners to 4-3.
Then in the seventh came Jenks, whose offseason switch from White Sox to Boston has been a minor disaster.
Suzuki hit another leadoff single in the seventh, Chone Figgins followed with a double and, after Milton Bradley struck out, Miguel Olivo hit an RBI grounder to score Suzuki. Cust hit a line drive that bounced off the scoreboard in left, easily scoring Figgins and putting the Mariners ahead to stay.
Jenks has allowed eight earned runs in 81/3 innings for Boston.
“I don’t even know what to say right now,” Jenks said. “I’m going out there, feel terrific, all my stuff is there, just the results aren’t.”
Cameron put the Sox ahead 4-2 in the fourth with his second homer of the season, a towering shot over the Green Monster. His first of the season came in the second inning, a fly ball that tucked inside the foul pole in the right-field corner.
Kevin Youkilis tied it 2-all on an two-out single to right in the bottom of the third, which could have been over if not for some misfortune for the Mariners.
Darnell McDonald drew a walk in the third after appearing to strike out. He tipped what was initially called strike three and catcher Miguel Olivo appeared to catch it, but first base umpire Greg Gibson ruled the ball hit the ground — replays showed it didn’t.
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