Right-hander J.J. Putz has had a difficult season with two stints on the disabled list and a tough time coming back from those rib and elbow pains, but he seems to be getting into a groove.
Including his one inning and his 10th save Friday in Cleveland, he's gone six games without allowing a run. And since returning from the disabled list for the second time on July 20, he's 3-1 with three saves and a 2.45 ERA.
He'd been a little unhappy that manager Jim Riggleman hadn't used him in a game Tuesday against the Twins, but the Mariners' skipper said he didn't want to burn him out; he'd pitched eight times in 10 days.
When he came back from the DL on July 20, he spent time splitting closing duties with right-hander Brandon Morrow, but with Putz finding his game again and Morrow in the minors getting stretched out to start, Putz is back where he's happiest, closing by himself again.
MARINERS 3, INDIANS 2: LF Raul Ibanez drove in three runs with a single and his 22nd homer to support six strong innings Friday from Seattle RHP Felix Hernandez, who won his ninth game in ending a 10-game Cleveland winning streak.
Ibanez drove in RF Ichiro Suzuki with a single in the first inning against LHP Jeremy Sowers, then came back in his next at-bat in the third inning and hit an opposite field homer with SS Yuniesky Betancourt on base.
Hernandez, who was winless in his previous five road starts, gave up single runs in the fourth and fifth but left after six innings with a 3-2 lead. RHP Roy Corcoran threw two shutout innings to get it to RHP J.J. Putz, who collected his 10th save.
The game was delayed 55 minutes at the start by rain, but once play started, it wasn't interrupted again.
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