Mariners shaken by Smoak injury in 6-4 loss

SEATTLE – About two hours before first pitch, Justin Smoak spoke of his excitement about returning to the lineup after being sidelined for five games with a sore left thumb.

He's about to become a spectator again.

Smoak broke his nose in the second inning of Seattle's 6-4 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Friday night. He was knocked to the dirt behind first base in the second inning when Jarrod Saltalmacchia's one-hop liner came up and hit him in the face.

It was a scary moment for all involved.

"I can't believe the hop it took. I heard it hit the bill of his hat first," Seattle designated hitter Mike Carp said. "Hopefully he is doing well. We're still waiting to find out."

Smoak was taken to a hospital for a CT scan, results of which were not available late Friday night. Saltalamacchia's one-hop shot first hit the bill of Smoak's hat and before catching the bridge of his nose.

Saltalamacchia ran to first with his hands on his head after seeing Smoak fall to the ground.

After lying on the dirt for a few minutes, Smoak left the field with a towel to his face and the area around his left eye already appearing to bruise.

"Anytime you've got a baseball that comes up and around the face it's scary," Seattle manager Eric Wedge said. "And it got him good."

Even with Smoak out of the lineup, Seattle had multiple chance to end Boston starter John Lackey's win streak. Seattle loaded the bases in each of the first two innings, but was only able to capitalize on a two-run single by Carp and an RBI single by Dustin Ackley.

Carp later added a two-run double and extended his hitting streak to 12 games. But the Red Sox continued to lurk and finally took the lead in the sixth on Josh Reddick's two-run homer off the windows of the cafe on the second deck in right field.

The stadium only registered Reddick's shot at being 393 feet, but it was a startling moment for those patrons enjoying a late dinner.

"I think that's about all I got in my 185-pound frame," Reddick said. "It was a two-strike swing so we'll stick with that's all I've got right there."

Reddick's sixth homer capped to a three-homer night by the Red Sox off Blake Beavan (3-3). David Ortiz and Jed Lowrie also connected for Boston.

The trio of homers made up for a rough start by Lackey, who was knocked around for 10 hits but still managed to pick up his seventh straight victory. For the third time in his last six starts, Lackey (11-8) allowed double figures in hits and he was done after giving up a leadoff single to Ackley in the seventh.

Six of the hits off Lackey came in the first two innings, but there was still time for the Red Sox to rally.

"It's fun. It's a good place to pitch," Lackey said. "These guys have been unbelievable all year. You can't say enough about the way these guys swing the bats."

Down 2-0 in the second, Ortiz got the Red Sox going with a solo drive to center field, his 24th homer of the season and fourth in the last seven games. Lowrie, a late replacement after Kevin Youkilis was scratched with a stiff back, added another solo homer in the fifth.

But no hit was more damaging than Reddick's shot in the sixth. Beavan was ahead in the count 1-2 when he tried to sneak a fastball past Reddick down and in. Reddick quickly dropped the bat head and rattled some folks having dinner.

"He tried to go a little inside to it and it came back over the plate," Reddick said. "I was just kind of looking away but fortunately for me he made a mistake and I didn't miss it."

Ortiz added an RBI single in the seventh that finally knocked out Beavan and concluded the worst start of his young career. Beavan was tagged for six runs and 11 hits, snapping a string of six straight starts going at least six innings and giving up three earned runs or less.

"I should have made more adjustments to offset my fastball, different pitches on certain hitters that they were taking too good a swings on," Beavan said.

NOTES: Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Petry, who was recently awarded the Medal of Honor by President Barack Obama, was honored before the game. His son, Austin, threw out the first pitch. ... Boston SS Marco Scutaro also was scratched with a stiff back. ... Injured Boston OF J.D. Drew (shoulder) took batting practice and is scheduled to do it again Saturday. ... Boston RHP Josh Beckett starts on Saturday in his fourth attempt at getting win No. 10 this season. Beckett beat Seattle 3-1 on July 23 for his ninth win. ... Seattle RHP Felix Hernandez has given up eight earned runs in 13 1-3 innings this season against the Red Sox.