Mariners 5, Red Sox 4
Ichiro Suzuki and Casper Wells homered during a five-run first inning against Josh Beckett and the Seattle Mariners held on for a 5-4 victory over the visiting Boston Red Sox on Saturday.
Mike Carp extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a two-run single for Seattle, which has won four of its last five home games.
Seattle teed off on Beckett as Suzuki began a string of four consecutive hits with his 34th career leadoff homer, giving him sole possession of ninth on the all-time list. Carp made it 3-0 with his single and Wells capped the outburst two batters later with his sixth blast of the year and second with the Mariners.
Felix Hernandez (11-10) notched his third win in four starts despite allowing two-run homers by Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia in the sixth. The reigning American League Cy Young Award winner improved to 5-2 lifetime against Boston.
Brandon League struck out two in a perfect ninth for his 28th save in 32 opportunities.
Ellsbury's blast was his 20th of the season, making him the sixth player in Red Sox history with 20 homers and 20 stolen bases in a season and first since Nomar Garciaparra in 1997. Ellsbury leads the club with 31 steals.
Beckett (9-5) failed for the fourth time to record his 10th victory. He fell to 6-1 against Seattle in eight starts as a member of the Red Sox, who saw their lead in the AL East shrink to one game over the Yankees.