Win over O's puts M's atop wild-card race

BALTIMORE — If the season ended today, the Mariners would be in the playoffs, having moved one percentage point ahead of the Tigers and six percentage points ahead of the Yankees in the wild-card race.

But the season doesn't end, unless we all missed the memo, which is why the Mariners hope their booming bats are setting them up properly for the stretch drive.

They followed a 19-hit effort Tuesday with 15 more hits against the Orioles, winning 8-4 at Camden Yards on a 101-degree day that locals termed the most oppressively humid in recent memory.

That led Seattle starter Felix Hernandez to take the mound with a simple game plan: Throw strikes with predominantly a sinker, try to get quick outs, and hang in there as long as he could.

Hernandez gave up 11 hits and four runs over 6-2/3 innings but didn't walk any, and was the beneficiary of a Mariners offense that featured three home runs in recording his eighth victory.

"That's pretty awesome for a pitcher," he said. "It was very tough out there tonight. I kept telling myself to throw strikes so I could stay in the game."

Tuesday, Raul Ibanez had his first two homers in more than a month, and Wednesday he added another. Jose Vidro ended an even longer drought with his first homer since May 25, a span of 206 at-bats.

Jose Guillen provided the other long ball, a two-run shot in the fourth off Orioles loser Jeremy Guthrie.

Guthrie entered the game third in the American League with a 2.98 earned-run average but struggled through four innings, giving up eight hits and six runs and saw his ERA jump to 3.22.

With Ichiro chipping in three hits for the second consecutive night, the Mariners are hitting .405 and have scored 18 runs in winning the first two games of the trip. That's on top of another 15-hit game earlier this month.

"I have a good feeling about this group," said manager John McLaren. "When we start hitting collectively, it's going to be really good."

Vidro, who went 3 for 3 and drove in four runs Wednesday, has made major strides since the All-Star break. Before the break, he was hitting .286 with a .698 OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage), which is below average for a designated hitter.

Since the break, Vidro went into the game Wednesday hitting .381 with an .898 OPS.

"We know he's a professional hitter, and he's really driving the ball a lot more now," McLaren said. "He's showing some of the power he had in past years. He worked hard in spring training to build his leg strength, and it looks like he's getting his legs under him more. He has a firm foundation now."

But Vidro, who had seven homers in each of the past two years after six consecutive seasons in double figures, knows he's not going to suddenly transform into a reborn slugger. The first-inning homer off Guthrie, following an Ichiro leadoff single, gave him four in 2007.

"I'm doing my thing, and if [a home run] happens, it happens," he said. "But my thing is getting on base with Ichi. That's when we create situations, and it led to 10 runs [Tuesday] and eight [Wednesday]. I don't think I'm suddenly looking to hit 20 homers."

Batting third behind Ichiro and Vidro, Guillen is one of the beneficiaries of those "situations."

"It's unbelievable, like a wakeup call," he said. "Everyone is clicking all of a sudden."

Even Richie Sexson, after getting two hits Tuesday, had another Wednesday to nudge his average from .199 to the Mendoza line. Ibanez is now 5 for 10 with three homers, two doubles and five runs batted in for the two games in Baltimore.

"Raul was hurt for a while, and he played through it," McLaren said. "Now he's getting his strength back. You're seeing the old Raul. The real Raul."

McLaren was happy to nurse Hernandez into the seventh, when the Seattle bullpen took over for 2-1/3 scoreless innings. J.J. Putz, who hadn't pitched for four days, entered with two outs and the bases loaded in the eighth and fell behind 3-1 on Ramon Hernandez before inducing an inning-ending groundout.

Putz breezed through the ninth for his 33rd save and said the layoff was beneficial.

"It was definitely nice," he said. "I don't know if I necessarily needed it, but it was very nice to have."

Larry Stone: 206-464-3146 or lstone@seattletimes.com