Seattle, WA (SportsNetwork.com) - Willie Bloomquist went 2-for-4 and drove in two runs to help the Seattle Mariners defeat the Detroit Tigers, 3-2, on Saturday in the middle test of a three-game set.
Chris Young (5-2) continued his dominance at home, hurling six innings of two- run ball and striking out six in the win. He allowed three hits after allowing just two in Monday's win against the Angels.
"You know the guy is phenomenal," Seattle manager Lloyd McClendon said of Young. "He knows his game plan, he knows what to do and he follows it pretty good."
Young has won his last three starts at Safeco Field and has given up seven runs over 33 1/3 innings on the home bump this season.
"He was tough," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said of Young. "He has pitched well in this park."
Miguel Cabrera was one of the few Tigers to touch Young, as the slugger collected two of Detroit's six hits and knocked out his 10th homer of the season in the setback.
Detroit starter Drew Smyly (2-4) allowed three runs on seven hits with five strikeouts over four innings of work.
Stefen Romero and John Buck hit back-to-back singles with one out in the second and Cole Gillespie brought Romero home with a dribbler to second baseman Ian Kinsler.
Bloomquist then followed a strikeout by Nick Franklin with a single to left that plated Buck and helped the M's to a 2-0 lead.
Cabrera cut the deficit in half with his second homer in as many days with one out in the fourth.
Bloomquist answered in the home half with his second RBI single of the night when he drove Gillespie in with two outs.
Austin Jackson led off the seventh with a double to left, which ended Young's night. Young was replaced by Charlie Furbush, who got Alex Avila to ground out for the first out of the inning.
Dominic Leone was then called upon to get out of the jam, but he walked Nick Castellanos for the first batter he faced.
Leone uncorked a wild pitch on ball four that allowed Jackson to cross home and cut the deficit to 3-2.
Andrew Romine flied out to left before Rajai Davis reached on an infield single to third that put the tying run at second.
Kinsler watched the first pitch of his at-bat sail out of the zone, then stroked a deep fly ball out to left that just stayed in the yard, as Gillespie hauled in the third out while simultaneously crashing into the wall.
"It was a good catch that saved a couple of runs no question," McClendon said of Gillespie's catch.
Fernando Rodney came on in the ninth and walked Avila before allowing a looping single to Don Kelly.
Seattle's closer then struck out Romine and Davis worked a 10-pitch at- bat, but struck out on a two-seam fastball riding in on the hands for the second out of the inning.
Kinsler stepped in representing Detroit's final chance. Rodney proceeded to induce a soft grounder to short, escaping the jam and converting his 14th save of the season.
Game Notes
Seattle second baseman Robinson Cano (illness) missed his third straight game on his bobblehead night ... The win snapped the Mariners' two-game losing skid, as well as halting Detroit's two-game winning streak ... Young has compiled a 6-0 record with a 2.84 ERA over 57 innings in nine starts at Safeco Field ... The M's were 3-for-6 with runners in scoring position, while the Tigers finished 0-for-6 in those instances.
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