Mariners rout error-prone Tigers 10-1

DETROIT – Justin Verlander made two big throws he'd like to have back.

One was hit over the wall for a three-run homer. The other rolled into center field for an error.

Justin Smoak homered off Verlander and drove in a career-high five runs to help the Seattle Mariners rout the Detroit Tigers 10-1 on Wednesday night. Seattle also scored a run after Verlander's pickoff attempt to second base in the fifth inning was wild.

"As bad as I was, the whole game comes down to the one mistake to Smoak," Verlander said. "I was trying to go down and away, and I basically got the pitch six inches higher than I wanted. He went down and got it — that was a nice swing."

Erik Bedard (1-4) pitched seven impressive innings for Seattle, earning his first win since June 2009. Smoak has homered in consecutive games after missing a week following the death of his father. His three-run shot in the first gave Seattle an early lead, and Bedard made it hold up.

The Mariners broke it open with six runs in the ninth.

Verlander (2-3) allowed four runs — three earned — and five hits in six innings. He struck out eight and walked three.

"He looked out of whack right from the start," manager Jim Leyland said. "He made some bad pitches and he paid for them."

Bedard, who missed last season following shoulder surgery, allowed a run and five hits with three strikeouts and no walks.

"They were swinging tonight," Bedard said. "I economized my pitches and got deep in the game."

Smoak homered Tuesday after coming back from the bereavement list, and he provided all the scoring Seattle would need Wednesday with an opposite-field shot off Verlander.

The Mariners were already frustrated in the first after Chone Figgins was thrown out at the plate on Miguel Olivo's single to left — replays appeared to show catcher Alex Avila missing the tag by a significant margin. After manager Eric Wedge came out to argue that call, Smoak stepped in and hit the ball over the wall in left-center, an estimated 405 feet.

It was Smoak's fourth home run of the year and second from the left side of the plate. He entered the game 5 of 27 hitting left-handed.

Bedard missed last season after surgery on his throwing shoulder. His most recent win was June 7, 2009, against Minnesota.

He allowed a run in the bottom of the first on Miguel Cabrera's RBI double, but that was it for the Tigers. Bedard struck out Austin Jackson with men on second and third to end the fifth. He came out after the seventh, having thrown 88 pitches.

Seattle scored an unearned run in the fifth on Olivo's sacrifice fly, which came after Verlander's wild pickoff throw put runners at second and third.

"When I turned, (second baseman Ryan) Raburn was behind the umpire, so I didn't see him," Verlander said. "As I got into the throw, he popped out from behind the ump, so I tried to adjust my throw, but there wasn't much I could do. My only other choice was to throw it into the ground."

The Mariners poured it on in the ninth. Ichiro Suzuki and Figgins hit RBI singles, and Smoak drove in two more runs with a single. Even Jack Cust — who had struck out his first four times up — hit an RBI double.

Figgins reached base five times: twice on errors, twice on singles and once on a walk.

Olivo had three hits, bringing his season total to 15 — eight of which were against the Tigers.

NOTES: The Tigers made four errors. ... Charles Woodson, who won the 1997 Heisman Trophy while at Michigan, threw out one of two ceremonial first pitches. The Green Bay defensive back, who broke his collarbone during last season's Super Bowl, was able to throw the ball to the plate, although his toss was a bit wide. ... Detroit LHP Daniel Schlereth made a marvelous play in the seventh. He was hit around the right foot by a comebacker that bounced almost 80 percent of the way to first base. While Cabrera covered the base, Schlereth ran over, grabbed the ball in his throwing hand while sliding across the grass and flipped it backhanded to Cabrera to retire Milton Bradley. ... The teams played through rain that varied in intensity throughout.