Mariners bring close to five-game skid with win over White Sox

SEATTLE (AP) -- Raul Ibanez's long home run was the spark the Seattle Mariners needed.

Ibanez hit a two-run drive to right that traveled an estimated 443 feet and the Mariners beat the Chicago White Sox 6-3 Sunday to snap a five-game losing streak.

"When you hit one that far it puts some life in a ballclub," Seattle closer J.J. Putz said.

Jose Lopez and Ichiro Suzuki each went 3-for-4 for the Mariners, who finished with 13 hits. It was Seattle's most hits since it collected 10 in a 7-3 win over Texas last Monday. The Mariners went 2-5 on their seven-game homestand.

Seattle got to Gavin Floyd (3-2), who has been one of the toughest pitchers to hit so far this season, for five runs and nine hits over 3 2/3 innings.

Floyd entered with a major league-leading opponent batting average of .149. He carried a no-hitter into the ninth Tuesday against Minnesota and into the seventh April 12 against Detroit.

Trailing 2-0 in the first, the Mariners rallied to win for the first time this season when they trailed by more than one run.

"We have a good ballclub," manager John McLaren said. "Things haven't been going well, but I believe in these guys. We need to keep them going and get out of a hole."

Ibanez connected on a 3-0 pitch with two outs in the third for his sixth homer of the season. Ibanez's drive scored Suzuki, who was aboard after a single, and gave the Mariners a 3-2 lead.

"I don't know, but I hit that pretty good," Ibanez said when asked if he had ever hit a homer that far. "I know if it goes 326 feet it counts as one run."

Miguel Batista (3-4) went 5 1/3 innings for Seattle, allowing three runs and 10 hits. He struck out six and walked three on a season-high 115 pitches.

"We let him get off the hook," Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen said. "We only scored two when we had a chance to score more. He struck out big people making good pitches to get out of a jam and then all of a sudden he started to pitch better."

Putz worked the ninth for his first save since April 22 and third of the season. Putz walked Joe Crede with two outs before he struck out Nick Swisher.

Relievers Arthur Rhodes, Sean Green and Brandon Morrow combined for 2 2/3 innings of one-hit ball to get the ball to Putz.

Rhodes relieved Batista in the sixth and worked out of a bases-loaded jam. Morrow struck out Carlos Quentin and Jim Thome in the eighth with a runner on first.

"Miguel battled and let us line up the bullpen the way we wanted," Putz said. "Arthur gets out the big lefty [Thome] out, Green's been solid all year and so has Morrow."

Seattle took a 5-2 lead in the fourth on Yuniesky Betancourt's two-run double.

Guillen expects Floyd to bounce back from the rocky start.

"He struggled early in the game and put a lot of runners on base," Guillen said. "He's been good for us all year and he'll be back next start."

Ibanez said he had a feeling the Mariners offense might finally take off. They scored only seven runs during the five-game losing streak.

"We've seen a lot of hard outs the last couple of days and we've had a lot better sounds coming off the bat," Ibanez said. "We're definitely going to enjoy the moment. But now the moment's over and we need to start again tomorrow."

Chicago had a three-game winning streak snapped.

Game notes
Chicago's Orlando Cabrera went 4-for-5 to tie a career high for hits. ... Chicago gave RF Jermaine Dye the day off. ... Suzuki stole his 16th base in the second.