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 Bartolo Colon showed flashes of his Cy Young days, shutting down Seattle for seven innings, and Dustin Pedroia's RBI ground-rule double scored the go-ahead run as the Red Sox scored four times in the eighth for a 5-3 win over the Mariners on Monday night.
David Ortiz added a long solo homer in the fourth and Manny Ramirez rattled the outfield wall with a run-scoring single as part of Boston's eighth inning rally, as the Red Sox snapped their seven-game road losing streak, their longest skid away from Fenway Park in nearly seven years.
Meanwhile, Seattle (18-34) dropped its seventh straight and fell 16 games under .500. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, only the 1914 Boston Braves have been 16 games under .500 and still made the playoffs.
Colon, making just his second start with Boston, needed to be sharp just to keep up with Seattle's Felix Hernandez, who was brilliant for seven innings, then stumbled in the eighth.
Hernandez (2-5) was on the verge of getting through the eighth, but with two outs and Julio Lugo on second, Pedroia jumped on the first pitch, lining it into the Red Sox bullpen on a hop, snapping a 1-all tie.
After Ortiz was intentionally walked, Ramirez ripped a liner off the right field wall to score Pedroia. Mike Lowell then hit a grounder behind third Adrian Beltre stopped, but had no play, allowing Ortiz to score. J.D. Drew reached on an 65-foot infield single to load the bases and Jason Varitek walked on a 3-2 pitch to force home the fourth run and end Hernandez's night.
Hernandez, who was supposed to start on Sunday in New York but had his start pushed back a day because of a sore calf, allowed seven hits, struck out five and walked five. He has lost his last five decisions after starting the season 2-0.
While Hernandez disgustedly threw his glove into the dugout as he walked off the mound, Colon (2-0) watched from the Red Sox bench as Boston's rally gave him his second win in as many starts. Colon threw 84 pitches in seven strong innings, scattering five hits and striking out five.
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Seattle got its first run in the sixth, but missed out on a big inning. After a Ichiro Suzuki single, Jose Lopez was hit by Colon's pitch. Jose Vidro then bunted the pair to second and third with one out.
Raul Ibanez chopped a grounder to second that got Suzuki home and tied the game at 1-all.
Ortiz gave Boston its first run with his 12th homer of the season in the fourth, driving a low-and-outside fastball over the head of Suzuki to the deepest part of spacious Safeco Field. Suzuki did give Mariners' fans a rare moment to cheer in the top of the fifth, crashing into the center field wall to make an over-the-shoulder catch on Varitek's drive.
As Suzuki bounced off the wall, he moved the ball to his bare hand and controlled it as he crashed on the warning track.
Notes: Colon is now 7-0 in his last eight starts at Safeco Field. He has not lost in Seattle since Aug. 24, 2001. ... Varitek wore a camouflaged chest protector and shin guards in honor of Memorial Day. The gear will be auctioned off and proceeds going toward the Massachusetts Soldiers Legacy Fund.
[Associated Press; By TIM BOOTH]
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