Mariners shut down Tigers 8-1

Young pitches 6 shutout innings

8/17/2014

DETROIT— Chris Young pitched six shutout innings and the Seattle Mariners beat Detroit 8-1 Sunday, winning the weekend series and moving back ahead of the Tigers in the race for the second AL wild-card spot.

Seattle’s Lloyd McClendon, managing his first series in Detroit after serving as Jim Leyland’s hitting coach, was ejected for the second straight game. McClendon was tossed for arguing after Detroit’s Alex Avila drew a seventh-inning walk.

PHOTO GALLERY: Tigers lose to Mariners

Young (12-6) allowed four hits and a walk. He improved to 2-0 with a 1.67 ERA in four career starts against Detroit.

Tigers rookie Robbie Ray (1-3) struggled while replacing injured Anibal Sanchez. He allowed four runs and seven hits in five innings.

Ray got into trouble in the first inning, walking Dustin Ackley with one out and then appearing to lose his concentration in mid-delivery. He ended up stumbling off the mound without throwing the pitch — an obvious balk.

Kendrys Morales singled home Ackley, and Kyle Seager made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly.

Seattle made it 3-0 in the third, scoring on Ray’s wild pitch after Victor Martinez’s error at first base had kept the inning going.

Chris Denorfia’s two-out triple gave the Mariners another run in the fifth, and Seattle made it 7-0 with three runs in Jim Johnson’s first inning as a Tiger.

Johnson, the former Baltimore relief ace who struggled this year in Oakland, recently signed a minor league contract with the Tigers. He was called up by Detroit over the weekend.

Martinez drove in Detroit’s only run with an eighth-inning double.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mariners: OF Michael Saunders will get a few more rehab games with Triple-A Tacoma before rejoining the Mariners. His recovery from an oblique injury was delayed for a few days by paternity leave, and McClendon wants him to get at least 20 at-bats before his return.

Tigers: OF Rajai Davis left the game with a bruised left thumb. ... RHP Joakim Soria (oblique) is feeling “significantly better,” manager Brad Ausmus says. Soria is eligible to return from the disabled list on Aug. 25, and will probably pitch a rehab assignment before that.

Umpires: Third-base umpire Tony Randazzo was hit in the left foot by J.D. Martinez’s line drive in the fourth inning, but the ball only struck a glancing blow and he stayed in the game.

UP NEXT

Mariners: Seattle travel to Philadelphia to open a three-game series on Monday night. Roenis Elias (9-9, 4.14) is scheduled to start in the open for the Mariners and Jerome Williams (0-0, 3.38) will go for Philadelphia.

Tigers: Detroit has Monday off before going to Tampa Bay for three games. Max Scherzer (14-4) is scheduled to oppose Chris Archer (8-6, 3.24). Tigers LHP David Price is supposed to go against his old team on Thursday.