Minnesota slams Seattle in victory

SEATTLE – At some point, the Seattle Mariners won’t keep getting second chances.

A bitter defeat Wednesday at Safeco Field left them with the sting of a misplayed bunt and Torii Hunter’s ninth-inning grand slam in a 6-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins.

Still, it was one loss among the 52 this season, and the Mariners remained tied with the Yankees, losers to the Orioles, for the lead in the American League wild -card standings and three games behind the Angels, who also lost at Toronto, in the A.L. West Division.

“Hopefully it’s not one of those games you look back on and say , ‘What if,’ ” manager John McLaren said.

There were plenty of what-ifs.

“What if the Mariners had scored at least one run in the seventh inning? “What if the Mariners hadn’t botched a bunt play in the eighth inning that allowed the Twins to break a 1-1 tie?

“What if Sean Green, the right-handed reliever who has been a late-inning savior all season, could have done it again?

Green got the final two outs of the eighth and had two outs in the ninth after putting the first two runners on base. He intentionally walked Joe Mauer, and he got two quick strikes on Hunter.

Hunter fought off two tailing fastballs and hit them foul, then had to scoot away from another that moved his feet for ball two. Green had Hunter set up well for a down-and-away slider.

The pitch was away but not down, and Hunter drove it into the Twins bullpen beyond the left-field fence for a grand slam that secured a 2-for-3 series against Seattle.

The M’s had had won four of their previous five series. With 44 games remaining, there’s time to minimize the impact of this one.

At least the Mariners hope so.