Zack Greinke won his third straight start, and Wilson Betimit went 3 for 4 with his fourth homer of the season and drove in all three runs in a 3-2 final over the Seattle Mariners. The Royals also got a little help from a fan in the eighth inning. Greinke went seven innings allowing one unearned run on two hits with a couple of walks and nine strikeouts. Greinke is now 4-0 against the Mariners in his career.
In Seattle, they say their football fans are the best 12th man in the NFL, but last night a Mariner’s fan became the Royals’ 10th man. In the 8th inning, a fan reached out and snag at ball hit down the right field line. Fan interference was called. Ichiro, representing the tying run would have scored from first on the hit, but had to return to third where he was left stranded at third.
Blake Wood got out of eighth and Joakim Soria picked up his 24th save in the ninth. Betimit hit his fourth homer of the season in the fifth snapping an 0 for 10 streak. Betimit then hit a ball of Ryan Rowland-Smith’s leg to drive in a run and blooped a single in the eighth to pikc up three RBIs.
While the numbers were impressive, Greinke said he had to work hard for his win. “I don’t know how to describe it, my control was a little off, and I got tired more than normal, but it’s not a big deal. The bullpen came up big, so it worked out good.”
There was a scare in the third inning when Greinke came off the mound to field a bunt and felt a twinge in his shoulder when he threw the ball, but he was fine and felt no effects afterwards. Jose Guillen left with a quad strain running a ball out in the eighth.