Tigers pound four homers, rout Mariners

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[July 07, 2015]  SEATTLE -- Detroit manager Brad Ausmus doesn't believe that hitting is contagious, but his Tigers sure looked as if they had an outbreak during the sixth and seventh innings of Monday's game against the Seattle Mariners.

Detroit erupted for 11 hits and nine runs in those frames, putting away the Mariners 12-5 on a night when the Tigers piled up 19 hits and four solo home runs.

"I'm a firm believer that hitting's absolutely contagious," said right fielder J.D. Martinez, who went 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs to continue his red-hot offensive pace. "You get a couple of good at-bats, the pitcher starts to lose his confidence, and everybody else starts feeding off it."

Detroit (42-40) homered four times off Seattle starter Hisashi Iwakuma before doing most of its damage against the Mariners' bullpen in the sixth and seventh. The Tigers piled up nine hits off relievers Mayckol Guaipe and David Rollins, going 11-for-13 during one stretch while including the back-to-back hits Iwakuma allowed to open the sixth. The visitors scored nine times to turn a 5-3 deficit into a 12-5 lead.

"Today was just one of those days where everyone came out swinging, and everyone was feeding off each other," J.D. Martinez said. "It's not something that's going to happen every day."

Detroit starter Alfredo Simon (8-5) had a shaky outing but earned the win. He allowed eight hits and five runs over 5 2/3 innings.

Designated hitter Victor Martinez and third baseman Nick Castellanos each went 4-for-5 with a home run. Castellanos drove in four runs.

Left fielder Yoenis Cespedes also homered, and six Detroit players had multiple hits. The 19 hits were one short of the Tigers' season high.

"Everyone contributed," Ausmus said.

Seattle (38-45) had not allowed more than 16 hits in a nine-inning game this season before Monday's outbreak.

Second baseman Robinson Cano had two hits for the Mariners, and first baseman Logan Morrison hit his 11th homer of the season, a three-run shot in the fifth that gave Seattle a 5-3 lead.

Iwakuma, making his first appearance since April 20 after coming off the disabled list earlier in the day, gave up five runs on eight hits in five-plus innings.

Iwakuma gave up multiple homers for the three time in his four starts this year. He was sidelined due to a strained lat muscle.

Bench coach Trent Jewett, who was filling in as manager while Lloyd McClendon attends a funeral out of state, was somewhat encouraged by Iwakuma's return to the mound.

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"He threw strikes and he was healthy," Jewett said. "Those were key factors. ... His pitch count (68) was down. He seemed to have energy. He was into it."

Jewett wasn't nearly as forgiving of the Seattle bullpen. Guaipe (0-1) faced three batters without getting an out, while Rollins made his Safeco Field debut and gave up hits to seven of the nine batters he faced. Both rookies were making their second major league appearance.

"You don't necessarily have the weapons at your disposal because of how the last few days lined up," Jewett said of using two rookies at a key point in the game. "Is it optimal? No. Hopefully it's a learning experience for those young guys."

NOTES: Three Tigers were named All-Star reserves Monday. LHP David Price, RF J.D. Martinez and SS Jose Iglesias will join injured 1B Miguel Cabrera on the American League roster. Cabrera, on the disabled list with a calf injury, was replaced by Angels 1B Albert Pujols in the AL starting lineup. ... Martinez was also named AL Player of the Week. He hit .458 (11-for-24) with four home runs, six runs and 10 RBIs over the six-game span. ... Seattle's only AL reserve was RHP Felix Hernandez, who is tied for the league lead with 10 wins. ... The Tigers claimed 1B Marc Krauss off waivers from Tampa Bay, although he wasn't immediately added to the 25-man roster. The Mariners activated RHP Hisashi Iwakuma from the disabled list to start the game, and they sent OF James Jones back to Triple-A Tacoma.

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