Cardinals pound Mariners
Woody Williams was determined to keep pitching, even after a two-hour rain delay.
Williams stayed loose during a downpour and came back even stronger, combining with three relievers on a six-hitter Friday night in the St. Louis Cardinals’ 11-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners.
“There wasn’t any doubt in my mind,” Williams said. “That’s pretty much how I have to treat it.
“If I start wondering back and forth, teetering, it takes me out of my game.”
Williams also doubled and scored for the Cardinals, who stopped a three-game losing streak. The N.L. Central leader, which has the league’s best record at 47-32, has not lost more than three in a row all season. The Cardinals improved to 9-1 in interleague games.
Reggie Sanders homered and had an RBI double, and Albert Pujols drove in three runs and scored three times. John Mabry had a three-run homer in the sixth, and Scott Rolen drove in his major league-leading 77th run.
Ichiro Suzuki had two hits in Seattle’s first regular-season game at St. Louis. The Mariners lost for the eighth time in 11 games.
Williams (6-6) gave up a run in the first when Suzuki got a leadoff single, stole second, advanced on a groundout and scored on Jolbert Cabrera’s sacrifice fly. After Suzuki’s hit, he retired his next 13 batters in order, interrupted by a rain delay with one out in the top of the third.
Williams, who lost five of his first six decisions, is 3-0 with a 1.67 ERA in his last four starts. He allowed three hits, struck out four and walked none.
“He was great and he can hit, too,” Mariners manager Bob Melvin said. “Wherever I’ve been and watched him pitch he’s an impressive guy.”
Sanders’ second-inning homer, his 14th of the season and second in two games, was the only hit allowed by Jamie Moyer, who left after the delay, having pitched two innings.
“We’re probably on the careful side but certainly after an hour, for me, that’s it,” Melvin said. “We certainly don’t need a rain delay tomorrow.”
St. Louis scored five runs in 21-3 innings against his replacement, rookie Matt Thornton (0-1).
Thornton, who pitched four scoreless innings against San Diego in his debut Sunday, gave up five hits and walked five.
“We just had trouble tonight throwing strikes,” second baseman Bret Boone said. “We were behind in the count a lot and if you do that at this level you get beat.”
M’s sign Tuiasosopo
Matt Tuiasosopo still hopes to be a big star in Seattle. It won’t happen with the Washington Huskies, though.
The Mariners signed Tuiasosopo, their top draft pick, on Friday. A two-sport standout and the gem of Washington’s football recruiting class, he said it wasn’t as tough a choice as he’d initially expected.
“It’s been in my heart to play baseball, especially for the Mariners,” said Tuiasosopo, who reports today to Peoria of the Arizona League. “I’m just so happy it’s done.”
The 6-foot-2 shortstop and quarterback was Seattle’s selection in the third round of last month’s draft, the 93rd overall pick. The Mariners had no picks in the first or second rounds.