Streaking Tigers rough up Weaver, Mariners

Tigers 7, Mariners 3

DETROIT (AP) -- Jeff Weaver isn't the same pitcher who beat Detroit in the clinching game of the 2006 World Series.

Just ask the Tigers.

Magglio Ordonez and Brandon Inge homered against Weaver and the Tigers beat the Mariners 7-3 for their ninth win in 10 games.

"It's an easy difference," said Inge, who saw Weaver last season when the right-hander helped the Cardinals win the World Series. "He pitched well then, not so well today."

Weaver, a former Tiger, gave up six runs in five innings and has lost each of his six starts this season. It's the longest losing streak of his career. He left the game with a 14.32 ERA.

Weaver's spot in the Mariners' rotation could be in jeopardy when Felix Hernandez returns from the disabled list Tuesday. The loss came a day after Cha Seung Baek, who took Hernandez's spot in the rotation, beat the Tigers 9-2 in his first career complete game.

"When you're struggling, nothing seems to go right," Weaver said. "I guess that I will have to go more out of the zone than in the zone.

"I really don't have the answer right now," he said.

He lost his first four starts of the 2000 season with Detroit but finished that season with 11 wins. Manager Mike Hargrove wouldn't discuss his future as a starter.

"It's too early to talk about another start for him," Hargrove said.

Justin Verlander (3-1) allowed two runs and nine hits in 5 1/3 innings for Detroit. He struck out five and walked one.

"Justin was OK," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. "We like to get him through at least one more inning with his pitch counts, but they fouled off a lot of pitches today."

Verlander loaded the bases in the first inning but escaped the jam by striking out Adrian Beltre. He settled down until the fifth, when four straight singles and a wild pitch got Seattle on the board.

Jose Guillen went 3-for-4 with two RBIs for the Mariners.

"We swung the bats good but couldn't get the big hit," Hargrove said. "Verlander was good when he had to be."

Relievers Bobby Seay, Jose Mesa, Fernando Rodney, and Wilfredo Ledezma combined to finish it up for the Tigers. Ledezma gave up Guillen's RBI double in the ninth.

The Tigers, who had an eight-game winning streak end Wednesday, staked Verlander to a 3-0 lead in the first. Gary Sheffield hit a sacrifice fly and Ordonez followed with a two-run drive to left.

Inge added a solo homer in the fourth and Ordonez scored on Weaver's wild pitch in the fifth.

"I was real pleased," Leyland said. "We got our fannies kicked last night and 12 hours later we were ready to play."

Detroit's Placido Polanco singled in his first three at-bats for his league-leading 16th multihit game.

Rookie catcher Mike Rabelo also had three hits and drove in his first career run with an eighth-inning triple for the Tigers.

Game notes
Tigers right-hander Joel Zumaya had successful surgery Wednesday to repair a ruptured tendon in his right middle finger. He's expected back in three months. ... Polanco has hit safely in 14 of his 17 games at Comerica Park this season. ... Seattle right-hander Sean White was available Thursday after sitting out Wednesday's game with flu-like symptoms.