Jack Hannahan led off the fourth inning with his second homer of the year, Cleveland chased Erik Bedard after four, and the Indians lead Seattle 6-1 heading to the seventh inning in the Pacific Northwest.
After Hannahan’s blast put the Tribe up 6-0, Seattle mounted a threat in the bottom of the fourth. Chad Figgins walked and Adam Kennedy singled and the Mariners had runners at the corners with nobody out. But Josh Tomlin bore down and minimized the damage, striking out two and allowing a sacrifice fly to Justin Smoak for the first — and so far, only — Seattle run of the game.
Through six innings, Tomlin has allowed only two hits and two walks, offset by four strikeouts, as he continues the remarkable string of starts by the Indians that has spanned the entire length of the six-game winning streak, which is nine outs from being a seven-game run.
Erik Bedard worked four innings for Seattle, allowing all six runs on ten hits. David Pauley came on in the fifth and has slammed the door in his two innings of work.
But the chance of a victory for Seattle, the chance to avoid a seventh straight loss for the Mariners, might already have escaped through that now-slammed door.