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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Bad teams make mistakes. Good teams
pounce on them.
|  | | Edgar Martinez had four hits to help the M's rally past the Royals. |
Seattle, the winningest team in the major leagues, scored the
tying and go-ahead runs on Kansas City throwing errors in the
eighth and efficiently erased a five-run deficit en route to a 9-6
victory Friday night.
Edgar Martinez hit his second homer in two games and was 4-for-5
to help Seattele improve to 34-12 with its 11th victory in 14
games. Ichiro Suzuki was 2-for-4 with an RBI, raising his average
to .363.
"We just keep battling and battling," said Ryan Franklin
(3-1), who pitched five innings of four-hit, one-run relief.
"We all know we're not going to win every game. But we come to
the park thinking we're going to win every game."
The Royals, with home runs by A.J. Hinch and Dee Brown, scored
six runs in the third to take a 6-1 lead. They were at home and
their best pitcher was on the mound. But Seattle scored two runs in
the fourth, two in the seventh and two in the mistake-filled eighth
to go ahead.
"We got some breaks in the eighth inning without a doubt,"
Seattle's Bret Boone said. "But it seems like this year we've been
getting breaks. To do what we've done early this season, you've got
to get the breaks, and we have."
Mike Cameron, who walked leading off the eighth, eventually
scored the tying run from second on a throwing error by second
baseman Luis Alicea, whose backhanded toss to second for an
attempted force out pulled shortstop Rey Sanchez off the bag.
After Tom Lampkin singled, pinch-runner Charles Gibson moved up
on a fielder's choice and scored from second when Jason Grimsley
(0-2) fielded Suzuki's soft grounder to the mound but threw wildly
to first.
Kazuhiro Sasaki worked the ninth of his league-leading 19th
save.
"We beat ourselves," Royals manager Tony Muser said. "When
you give a good club four or five outs, you're asking for trouble
and we got it. We have no one to blame but ourselves. You've got to
make the routine plays routine."
The Mariners added two runs in the ninth on Carlos Guillen's
sacrifice fly and Cameron's RBI single.
Martinez had a solo homer in the first and hit an RBI single in
the seventh that made it 6-5. Earlier in the inning, Suzuki singled
home the Mariners' fourth run.
The Mariners got two runs in the fourth on an infield out by
Guillen and David Bell's RBI single.
"Our team had no quit again tonight," said Seattle manager Lou
Piniella. "We got some big hits when we needed them. We forced the
issue running, putting the game in motion. Then we took advantage
of a break or two."
Dan Reichert allowed five runs and eight hits in six-plus
innings.
Hinch led off the third with his second home run and then Carlos
Beltran walked and scored Sanchez's drive into center that was
bobbled by Cameron but ruled a triple.
Mike Sweeney, challenging the arm of Suzuki in right, slid into
second with his league-leading 25th double that made it 3-1. Then
Joe Randa singled home a run and Brown hit a two-run homer off
Franklin.
Halama gave up five runs, six hits, and two walks in two-plus
innings.
Game notes
Sweeney, with 15 doubles in May, is three short of the
one-month club record set by George Brett in July 1990. ... The
Royals hired former major league starter Al Nipper as their
pitching coach Friday. ... Martinez has hit six of his seven home
runs on the road. ... Boone hit a drive deep into right field
leading off the sixth and Jermaine Dye made a fine catch with his
back banging against the bullpen gate. The crowd's cheers turned
into laughter as the gate popped open and Dye's momentum carried
him stumbling backward into the bullpen. ... After having only two
extra-base hits in their previous two games, the Royals got four in
the third.
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OTHER GAMES
Baseball Scoreboard
Seattle Clubhouse
Kansas City Clubhouse
RECAPS
Baltimore 7
Texas 6
Boston 4
Toronto 0
Cleveland 6
NY Yankees 4
Chi. White Sox 8
Detroit 4
Anaheim 6
Tampa Bay 4
Seattle 9
Kansas City 6
Oakland 4
Minnesota 2
Chicago Cubs 1
Milwaukee 0
St. Louis 5
Cincinnati 4
Philadelphia 10
Montreal 8
NY Mets 4
Florida 3
Atlanta 1
Pittsburgh 0
Arizona 7
San Diego 1
Los Angeles 4
Houston 1
Colorado 6
San Francisco 1
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