Mariners overcome three-run deficit, rally late to beat Orioles

BALTIMORE (AP) -- For five innings, Adam Loewen was everything the Baltimore Orioles envisioned when they made him the fourth overall pick in the 2002 amateur draft.

Pitching against the Seattle Mariners in his eighth major league start, the left-hander faced the minimum 15 batters, allowing a third-inning single to Jose Lopez before Adrian Beltre hit into a double play.

"I felt like I was cruising through the first five," he said.

Then the Mariners got their offense working, and Loewen was long gone by the time Seattle closed out a 10-5 victory Monday night.

Richie Sexson and Kenji Johjima homered for the Mariners, who trailed 3-0 before scoring all their runs in the final four innings. Yuniesky Betancourt and Lopez each had three hits to help Seattle to its seventh win in nine games.

"Once we got past the fifth inning it just seemed like we got hits when we needed them," Seattle manager Mike Hargrove said.

Loewen came into the game with 32 walks in 44 1/3 innings, but in this one he was repeatedly around the strike zone. His lone walk came in the sixth.

"The report on him was he couldn't throw strikes," Sexson said. "But he was doing that, so we had to change our approach and get more aggressive."

Betancourt and Adam Jones got Seattle's offense started with one-out singles in the sixth. After Lopez singled in a run, Loewen walked Beltre to load the bases for Raul Ibanez, who tied it with a two-run single.

The Mariners made it 5-3 in the seventh. Eduardo Perez led off with a single and advanced when left fielder Brandon Fahey misplayed the ball. Johjima followed with an RBI single to end the longest outing of Loewen's career.

Julio Manon, called up from Triple-A Ottawa earlier Monday, got two outs before an error by third baseman Melvin Mora allowed another run to score.

Loewen allowed seven hits and four earned runs in six-plus innings. He struck out five.

"Late in the game, that's been the story. I've been battered a little bit and haven't come out on top," Loewen said. "This is a tough one, especially with a 3-0 lead."

Baltimore manager Sam Perlozzo said, "I thought Adam made huge strides tonight. We'll just take steps with him, and we feel like we've got ourselves a pitcher."

Brian Roberts and Nick Markakis homered for the Orioles, who have lost three of four.

Baltimore shortstop Miguel Tejada, the subject of trade rumors leading up to Monday's non-waiver trading deadline, went 1-for-3 with a walk. Before the game, Tejada spoke excitedly about staying in Baltimore.

"I told them before that I don't want to go anywhere. If I'm going to win, I want to win here," he said. "Now, they show me they really want to win. They kept me here."

After Seattle went ahead in the seventh, Markakis hit his fourth homer in the bottom half to chase Julio Mateo (6-4), who had replaced starter Gil Meche in the sixth.

Sexson led off the eighth against Eddy Rodriguez with his 23rd homer, the second in two games. After Perez walked, Johjima homered, Betancourt doubled and Lopez hit an RBI single for a 9-4 lead.

Corey Patterson singled in a run in the Orioles' half, and Sexson hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth to cap the Mariners' scoring flurry.

"We had been struggling, obviously, the first half of the game," Sexson said. "So it was nice to put a bunch of hits together and get a lead."

Roberts homered on Meche's second pitch to put the Orioles in front. The ball cleared the 25-foot scoreboard in right field and became the 39th in the 15-year history of Camden Yards to land on Eutaw Street.

Two batters later, Mora hit his 12th home run for a 2-0 lead. Jay Gibbons added an RBI single in the Baltimore third.

Game notes
Seattle is 17-4 when Sexson homers. ... Roberts went 2-for-3 against Meche and is 12-for-23 against him lifetime. ... Roberts has three homers, two in the last four games. Seattle rookie Mark Lowe retired the only batter he faced and is unscored upon in nine appearances. ... Manon replaced LHP Kurt Birkins, who was placed on the 15-day DL with a sore elbow.