Mariners use home runs by Adrian Beltre, Ken Griffey Jr. to edge San Francisco 5-4

The Mariners had hit 31 consecutive singles when Ken Griffey Jr. stepped to the plate in the first inning Sunday to face Barry Zito.

The fact that Griffey was starting at all against the left-handed Zito was a hunch play by manager Don Wakamatsu. And what Griffey did — for the 616th time in his career — obliterated the Mariners' team-record-tying streak of three games without an extra-base hit.

Griffey's two-run homer powered the Mariners to a 5-4 interleague victory over the San Francisco Giants in front of 36,616 at Safeco Field.

"I told Grif, 'Players like you make a manager awfully smart,' " Wakamatsu said afterward.

Once Griffey had turned the power back on, it proved contagious. Though the Mariners had just five hits in the game, two left the yard, including Adrian Beltre's three-run homer in the fifth off Zito. That blast proved decisive after San Francisco had taken a 3-2 lead in the top of the inning.

The beneficiary was Felix Hernandez, who had been called out by Wakamatsu after his last start, a ragged outing against the Angels. Hernandez gave up six runs in 5-2/3 innings in that game, but more perturbing to the manager, allowed five stolen bases.

This time, Hernandez helped preserve a weary bullpen by working eight strong innings to earn his first victory since April 28. David Aardsma, a former No. 1 draft pick of the Giants, worked the ninth for his sixth save.

Hernandez fanned a season-high 10, didn't allow any steals, and faltered only twice. In the fifth, he gave up three unearned runs after a Russ Branyan error at first base gave the Giants an opening. He also yielded a solo homer to Fred Lewis with two outs in the eighth.

"We talked earlier today about Felix stepping up. I thought he stepped up today and did a phenomenal job," Wakamatsu said. "Not just stuff-wise, but more importantly, because of the shape of our bullpen. We obviously needed the eight innings, and he gave some guys some rest. That's what we're talking about, being a team player."

Wakamatsu was prepared to send Hernandez out for the ninth had he not given up the Lewis homer. He finished with 112 pitches — a whopping 83 of them strikes.

"I just wanted to throw a lot of innings so I can stay in the game," Hernandez said. "Today, I was aggressive, and I was pounding the strike zone. The last couple of games, I fell behind. I just put it in my mind that I'm going to go out there and throw strikes."

Griffey hadn't started against a left-hander since April 10, but he now has three of his five homers off southpaws. Those happen to be his only three hits in 20 at-bats against lefties. In his career, he has hit 183 homers off left-handed pitchers.

"My dad was left-handed. Do you honestly think I care?" he said.

When informed that the Mariners' last previous extra-base hit was Ichiro's leadoff double last Wednesday, he smiled and said, "We're pacing ourselves. Sometimes it's like that. You just have to not do too much, and today we were fortunate enough to hit a couple out, and let Fifi settle down. And let him settle down again."

"Fifi" happens to be Griffey's nickname for Hernandez. The second settling homer, by Beltre, ended a homestand in which the struggling third baseman had hit just .138 (5 for 33) coming in.

"I'm feeling better," said Beltre, who was playing his second game as the Mariners' No. 3 hitter. "I'm getting better results. I'm feeling a little more comfortable at the plate. Hopefully, I can keep the same approach I've been having the last couple games. I think it's more confidence. It's getting your pitch and not missing it."

Beltre admitted he has been pressing to do more to help the ailing Mariners' attack.

"It's tough because you know our team needs some offense," he said. "When you are struggling, you want to be the guy. You want to help. At that moment, sometimes you put too much pressure on yourself, and that works against you."

In this game, virtually every move Wakamatsu made worked for him and the Mariners. He installed Yuniesky Betancourt as the No. 2 hitter, and Betancourt walked twice (for the second time on the homestand) and dropped down a sacrifice bunt before Beltre's homer.

"I thought Yuni did a phenomenal job in that second hole of being patient there and laying down that bunt when he did," Wakamatsu said.

Aardsma, meanwhile, gave up a one-out single to Emmanuel Burris in the ninth, but Ichiro niftily hauled in a long foul in the right-field corner. After Burris stole second, Aardsma struck out Aaron Rowand.

"To have Aardsma come in and dominate and turn the lights out on that ninth inning, it's an awfully good feeling to have a guy in the bullpen like that," Wakamatsu said.

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

For the record

Streak: W1

Home: 12-12

Road: 9-12

v. AL West: 10-11

vs. L.A.: 5-5

vs. Oakland: 5-1

vs. Texas: 0-5

vs. AL East: 4-2

vs. AL Cent.: 5-10

vs. NL: 2-1

vs. LHP: 10-4

vs. RHP: 11-20

Day: 9-7

Night: 12-17

One-run: 12-8

Extra inn.: 3-2

Home attendance

Sunday's crowd: 36,616

Season total: 653,625

Biggest crowd: 45,958 (April 14)

Smallest crowd: 16,002 (May 19)

Average (24 dates): 27,234

2008 average (24 dates): 27,096