Griffey, Mariners Barrage Tampa
Fans in the outfield seats beware when the Seattle Mariners visit Tropicana Field.
Ken Griffey Jr. hit two of Seattle's six solo homers Saturday night as the Mariners snapped the Tampa Bay Devil Rays' franchise-record six-game winning streak with a 9-4 victory.
Griffey, who went 4-for-5 with three RBIs, and Jay Buhner homered on back-to-back pitches as the Mariners hit three solo homers during a four-run fourth inning.
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"We haven't been swinging the bats real well in the past couple of days," Griffey said. "It was just one of those days that things happened."
John Mabry also homered, and Domingo Cedeno added an RBI double in the fourth.
David Segui and Griffey chased Tampa Bay starter Rolando Arrojo (1-2) with solo homers in the fifth inning.
Griffey, with 355 career homers, moved past Lee May into 49th place on the career list with his fifth homer of the year. It was his 36th career multi-homer game.
Tampa Bay's Jose Canseco hit a three-run, opposite-field homer his major league-leading ninth this season off reliever Makoto Suzuki during a four-run seventh-inning.
Canseco set a personal best home run total for April and tops Tampa Bay with 15 RBI.
Seattle starter Butch Henry (2-0) worked 6 1-3 innings in his first start since April 14. The left-hander gave up two runs and six hits.
David Bell hit the sixth solo homer off Albie Lopez, making it 7-0 in the sixth inning.
Seattle has homered 20 times in eight games at Tampa Bay over the past two seasons. The Mariners also hit six solo homers last May 31 at Tropicana Field.
"We've led the majors in home runs the last three years, so I don't think it has anything to do with this particular park," said Seattle manager Lou Piniella. "We've got power, that's for sure. When they're hitting them, they hit them. It showed tonight."
Seattl has hit 31 homers this season.
The major league record for solo home runs in a game is seven, set by the Boston Red Sox against Toronto on July 4, 1977.
Arrojo went 4 1-3 innings, allowing six runs and nine hits. In three career starts against Seattle, the right-hander has given up 16 runs over 16 1-3 innings.
"It just seems Seattle is not my team," Arrojo said. "They batted well ... terribly well."
The five homers allowed by Arrojo set a team record and was one shy of the American League mark. Both Al Thomas of St. Louis on June 27, 1936, and Philadelphia's George Caster on Sept. 24, 1940, gave up six homers.
Griffey added an RBI single and Buhner had a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning.
Segui has homered in two straight games since becoming the Mariners' leadoff hitter.
"This is a good hitting park," Segui said. "It's small and some days the ball carries really, really well."
Notes: The Mariners snapped a three-game losing streak. ... Seattle pitcher Brett Hinchliffe completed his three -game suspension and is scheduled to start Tuesday against Detroit. ... Devil Rays left-hander Wilson Alvarez, sidelined since April 12 by a left shoulder injury, will throw batting practice Sunday and could be activated from the 15-day disabled list this week. ... Griffey had gone 29 plate-appearances without having a runner in scoring position before his at-bat in the seventh-inning. ... Tampa Bay first baseman Fred McGriff took batting practice after receiving medical clearance to resume playing. McGriff has a contusion near his right eye, which occurred during a play at the plate Wednesday. ... The Devil Rays will wait until after Bobby Witt's next side session before deciding whether to push back his next start. Witt reported a twinge in his shoulder during Friday night's game. ... A decision on whether or not Seattle right-hander Mark Leiter will undergo surgery for his ailing right shoulder should come in the next couple days.
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