Red Sox 2, Mariners 1
SEATTLE -- Mookie Betts blooped the go-ahead sacrifice fly in the ninth inning Thursday night at Safeco Field to help the Boston Red Sox steal a 2-1 win over the Seattle Mariners in the opener of a four-game series.
Facing closer Fernando Rodney, Betts stuck with a low 1-2 changeup on the seventh pitch of the at-bat and lifted it to left fielder Rickie Weeks. Weeks, a longtime second baseman, roamed slowly to his left and let the baseball ricochet off his glove before it hit the ground, and third baseman Brock Holt scored from third after leading off with a double.
The fly was probably deep enough to score Holt regardless of whether it was caught. Still, Weeks, who converted to outfield this season, shook his head and pounded his glove. He entered the game in the bottom of the eighth to pinch-hit for Brad Miller, who was making the first start of his career in left.
The mishap was enough to give reliever Matt Barnes (2-0) the win for the Red Sox (17-18), while Rodney fell to 1-2 for the Mariners (15-19).
Boston closer Koji Uehara pitched a perfect ninth inning for his eighth save.
Offense was tough to find.
Right fielder Shane Victorino continued to torment Mariners pitching in the fourth inning when he lifted a solo homer off left-hander Roenis Elias that easily cleared the left field wall, staking the Red Sox a 1-0 lead.
The Mariners evened it at 1 in the sixth after designated hitter Nelson Cruz walked and third baseman Kyle Seager followed with a single. They both advanced on a wild pitch, and first baseman Logan Morrison registered a weak RBI groundout.
Elias skirted trouble for most the night. Making his fourth start this season with the Mariners after beginning the year with Triple-A Tacoma, the Cuban defector scattered eight hits over 6 1/3 innings. However, he allowed just one run while walking and striking out two.
Red Sox right-hander Joe Kelly settled for a no-decision, but he snapped a two-game losing streak while allowing one run over 6 1/3 innings. He struck out two, walked three and allowed just five hits while lowering his ERA to 5.58.
NOTES: Mariners SS Brad Miller played left field for the first time in the majors and was back in the No. 2 spot in the lineup. Miller has been working on the outfield transition the past few weeks with outfield coach Andy Van Slyke. INF Chris Taylor claimed the starting shortstop job after recovering from a fracture in his right wrist that occurred during spring training. ... Seattle RF Nelson Cruz began Thursday leading the league with a .591 batting average against left-handed pitching. That included an astronomical 2.212 OPS against southpaws. ... Nobody hits Mariners pitching better than Red Sox OF Shane Victorino. The "Flyin' Hawaiian," who went 2-for-3 Thursday, entered the game with the best all-time batting average (.459) and is tied with Andres Gallaraga with the top on-base percentage (.500) of any player with a minimum of 40 plate appearances against Seattle.