Baltimore 3, Seattle 1

BALTIMORE (AP) -- Jamie Moyer had a simple explanation for his first loss to the Baltimore Orioles since 1989.

"Can't win them all," he said.

Truth is, Moyer pitched well enough to beat the Orioles for a 15th straight time. But Eric DuBose was better.

DuBose allowed one run in eight innings and Tony Batista homered and drove in two runs as the Orioles defeated Moyer and the Seattle Mariners 3-1 Saturday night.

Moyer (17-7) gave up two runs and eight hits over seven innings in losing to Baltimore for the first time in 14 years. The left-hander had won 14 straight decisions against the Orioles and was 14-1 lifetime in 21 appearances.

It was the longest current run in the majors, one that began when the Orioles still played in Memorial Stadium.

"There's no reason or rhyme to it," Moyer said. "Think of all the people that played here from 1989 to today."

Moyer walked four and gave up at least one hit in every inning but the sixth.

"He didn't have his good command tonight," Orioles manager Mike Hargrove said. "But the real good ones, when they don't have their good stuff they keep their team in the game -- and he did that tonight."

The loss dropped Seattle 1{ games behind Boston in the wild-card race and kept the Mariners two games back of Oakland in the AL West.

DuBose (2-4) gave up six hits. The rookie struck out six and walked none in his second outstanding performance against the Mariners in a seven-day span.

One week earlier, DuBose limited Seattle to one hit over eight innings before being removed in the ninth.

"I don't think it's anything to do with Seattle," the left-hander said. "It's just that the last two outings I've been able to spot my fastball early in the count and get my breaking ball over. That just sets up my changeup."

The Mariners studied film of the first game in an effort to alter their fate, but DuBose was up to the task.

"Their guy pitches very well," Seattle manager Bob Melvin said. "We tried to adjust to him from last game, but he adjusted right back."

DuBose was in position for his first complete game in the majors, but after 115 pitches had no complaints about being lifted.

"If they had told me to go out I could, but I wasn't disappointed when they took me out. I was pretty gassed," he said.

Jorge Julio got three outs for his 31st save in 38 chances.

Batista drove in a fifth-inning run to give the Orioles a 2-1 lead, then hit his 24th homer in the eighth off Julio Mateo.

Baltimore got a first-inning run when Melvin Mora walked, took third on a two-out single by Batista and scored when B.J. Surhoff hit a grounder that struck first base and caromed into right field.

Seattle tied it in the fourth on a triple by Randy Winn and a run-scoring groundout by Edgar Martinez.

In the Baltimore fifth, Brian Roberts led off with a double and Luis Matos walked before Mora laid down a sacrifice and Batista hit a run-scoring groundout.

Ichiro Suzuki led off the sixth with a single and reached third with two outs before DuBose struck out Bret Boone.

Game notes
The start of the game was delayed 30 minutes by a ceremony for Cal Ripken, who was inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame. ... Roberts, whose 10-game hitting streak matched a season high, had his 33rd multihit game. He has seven hits over his last two starts. ... Seattle's John Olerud played in his 2,000th game.