After slow start, Hernandez guides M's past Pirates
PITTSBURGH -- Seattle ace Felix Hernandez, in his second start back from a calf injury, gave up three runs over the first two innings before settling down Tuesday to lead the Mariners to a 7-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.
Hernandez (5-4) pitched six innings, giving up all four runs on nine hits with three strikeouts and a walk. Steve Cishek pitched the ninth for his 24th save.
Kyle Seager was 3-for-4 with a home run, and Franklin Gutierrez also homered for Seattle, which scored three runs in the third and three more in the fourth. The Mariners won for the fifth time in seven games.
Gregory Polanco went 4-for-5 with a home run for Pittsburgh, which had won three of its previous four and five of its previous seven.
Francisco Liriano (6-10) also hit a home run for the Pirates, but that didn't make up for the seven runs on eight hits he allowed in 3 1/3 innings. He walked four, struck out three and gave up two homers.
Liriano looked to be turning things around after striking out 13 in his previous start. His three strikeouts Tuesday left him two shy of 1,500 for his career.
Polanco's one-out solo homer, which just cleared the wall in center, got things rolling for Pittsburgh in the first. After Andrew McCutchen was hit by a Hernandez pitch, a triple by Starling Marte and a groundout by Jung Ho Kang scored two more runs for a 3-0 lead.
The Mariners got one back in the second when Seager bunted his way on, Mike Zunino walked and Leonys Martin singled to right to make it 3-1.
Liriano negated that run when he hit his second career homer to center with two outs in the second for a 4-1 Pirates lead. It was the first time in Hernandez's career he has given up a homer to a pitcher.
Seattle pulled even with three runs in the third.
Gutierrez led off the inning with a first-pitch homer to right, his 10th home run of the season. With two outs, Seager hit a two-run homer to right, his 20th home run of the year, to tie it 4-4.
The Mariners chased Liriano in the fourth. Shawn O'Malley's RBI double and Robinson Cano's RBI single made it 6-4 before reliever Jared Hughes came on. He got Nelson Cruz and Dae-Ho Lee to ground out, but Cruz's grounder drove in another run to make it 7-4.
NOTES: Pittsburgh C Eric Fryer was reinstated from paternity leave, and C Elias Diaz was returned to Triple-A Indianapolis. ... Pirates RHP Ryan Vogelsong is scheduled to make what could be his final rehab start Wednesday for Indianapolis. He is coming back from facial surgery after getting hit with a pitch on May 23. ... The Pirates have not named a starter for Friday's game at Milwaukee. It apparently won't be LHP Jeff Locke, whose turn in the rotation is being skipped this week. Manager Clint Hurdle said Locke will be available out of the bullpen through the weekend. ... Mariners LF Franklin Gutierrez, who missed Sunday's loss at Toronto because of a neck injury, returned to the lineup Tuesday. ... Seattle manager Scott Servais said SS Ketel Marte (mononucleosis) is feeling a little better but will need to regain his strength. ... Mariners RHP Taijuan Walker (right foot tendinitis) is scheduled to throw a three-inning simulated game on Wednesday after playing catch Tuesday.