Beltre busts streak

With the Mariners dangerously close to adding to their worst losing streak since 1992, Yuniesky Betancourt went looking for teammate Adrian Beltre — Yo Adrian! — before the bottom of the ninth.

The gist of their conversation? End this game right now.

So the streak in which the Mariners did nothing right ended because Beltre could do no wrong on Tuesday night. He played every bit like a man worth $64 million in the Mariners' 6-5 victory over the New York Yankees, if only for one night.

A crowd of 42,454 came to Safeco Field to see if the Mariners would add to their 11-game losing streak. Instead, they saw Beltre belt home runs in the first and ninth innings, and watched him slide to break up an inning-ending double play that allowed the Mariners to tie. If this wasn't his best game as a Mariner, Beltre said, it was "close to it."

And on the 13th day, the Mariners actually won a baseball game and music actually blared from the clubhouse speakers and players actually smiled.

"It feels great," Beltre said. "Especially in this situation. Especially with who we were playing."

This was the atmosphere that Cha Seung Baek walked into. After spending last season in Tacoma and being released from the 40-man roster last December, Baek returned to the major leagues for the first time since 2004, hoping to continue his run of success this year at Class AAA Tacoma (12-4, 3.00 earned-run average).

Mariners update

Winning pitcher: Julio Mateo (9-4)

Losing pitcher: Ron Villone (3-2)

Tonight: Yankees at Mariners,

7:05 p.m., FSN/KOMO 1000 AM

Starting pitchers: M's Felix Hernandez (10-11) vs. Chien-Ming Wang (14-5)

The Mariners' 11-game debacle and the powerful Yankees batting order weren't exactly ideal circumstances for the 26-year-old right-hander.

Baek turned in a solid, if not spectacular, outing, striking out six in five innings. Aside from a high pitch count, his biggest mistake came in the third inning, when recently acquired Yankee Bobby Abreu put the ball just past Ichiro into the first row of stands in center field for a three-run home run that gave the Yankees a 3-2 lead.

"It felt great," Baek said, referring to the win, not the home run. "We got the win. I'm happy about that."

Aren't they all. The Mariners and the Yankees were — and still are — headed in opposite directions. The Yankees (75-49) just took five straight from the Boston Red Sox en route, in all likelihood, to the AL East Division title. The Mariners (57-68) ... well, that horse has been beaten beyond recognition.

The Yankees allowed Jeffrey Karstens his major-league debut against the Mariners. His conditions? Close to optimal. An opponent that had not won since the last time it played at home — three series ago — and that Yankees lineup.

The Mariners hit Karstens early and fairly often, but he only allowed three runs, on home runs to Beltre (first inning) and Richie Sexson (third).

Eric O'Flaherty relieved Baek in the sixth inning. And then Alex Rodriguez — who received mostly boos, per the usual at Safeco Field — smashed a two-run home run into the upper deck. And all those fans who watched all that losing on TV wondered if the streak would continue back at home.

Then came the little slide that ended the big slide.

Appropriately, it came from Beltre. Bases loaded. One out. Bottom of the seventh. Sexson came to bat and dribbled a ground ball to shortstop Derek Jeter. Looking to turn the double play, Jeter fired to Nick Green at second base, but Beltre slid into his left leg and Green never even threw.

A small play, a hustle play, a necessary play, teammate Raul Ibanez noted, because it allowed him the chance to bat. And when Ibanez singled to score Chris Snelling and tie the score at 5, it set the backdrop for further Beltre heroics in the ninth.

"It felt good," Mariners manager Mike Hargrove said. "We knew eventually [the streak] would end. And we knew, when it ended, it wasn't going to be easy."

Someone wanted to know if it meant more to beat the Yankees. Hargrove laughed, a welcomed change from the recent trip. The bags under his eyes showed just how much toll the trip had taken. The smile on his face showed just how much this win eased that pain, if only for one night.

"Right now, it's just nice to beat somebody," he said.

And on the 13th day, the Mariners actually won. Yo Adrian!

Greg Bishop: 206-464-3191 or gbishop@seattletimes.com