M's get in Twins' way

The Mariners' 4-2 win over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday was a game of many facets.

The baseball itself, if not the hype, gave an indication that this was no ordinary ballgame.

When Seattle manager Mike Hargrove is playing small ball early — bunting in the first, calling a hit-and-run in the third — he is acknowledging a close clash, a too-rare event where every edge might be decisive.

What started out as a second fine pitching matchup between Seattle's Felix Hernandez and Minnesota's own fine youngster, Francisco Liriano, wound up a Mariners win that fulfilled expectations.

"Great game, special game," Seattle second baseman Jose Lopez said. "Those two guys going, whew! You go out there and you know it's different; it's going to be a real baseball game. You play good. You hit smart. You're just happy Felix is going because you know what good stuff Liriano has, too."

Mike Morse, now Seattle's designated hitter against left-handers, had two runs batted in. The first broke a 0-0 game in the fourth inning; the other got a run back in the sixth after Minnesota had cut the lead to 2-1.

Ichiro had four hits, and as usual made a mystery out of discussing them.

Mariners update


Winning pitcher:

Felix Hernandez (5-6)

Losing pitcher:

Francisco Liriano (4-1)

Tonight: Minnesota at Seattle, 7:05 p.m., FSN/KOMO (1000 AM)

Starting pitchers:

M's Jamie Moyer (3-5)

vs. Boof Bonser (1-1)

Good baserunning, the opposite of any part of the Mariners' recent three-game sweep by the Twins, set up the run that Morse delivered in the sixth.

The bullpen put an exclamation point on the outcome, picking up for both Hernandez and Eddie Guardado, who relieved to start the eighth and gave up Jason Kubel's solo homer that cut the lead to two runs.

Julio Mateo, George Sherrill and J.J. Putz each rushed in for an out to quell the Twins' uprising. Putz stayed for the ninth inning and his ninth save.

"There were a lot of things done right out there," Hargrove said after his club's fifth win in six games. "We played good little ball, ran the bases well, played good defense. But if I was to point to one thing that won for us, I'd say the pitching of Hernandez, then Mateo, Sherrill and, obviously, Putz."

One thing that led to the outcome?

"Hernandez doing what he did," the manager said. "The Twins have good hitters, but Felix was outstanding. He kept the ball down and threw some good curveballs."

Hernandez is steadily coming off the miasma that bedeviled him in April, with a third straight good start and, for the first time this year, a second straight win.

Does he feel he's back, where this spring's hoo-rah expected him? "Si," he said, smiling through his Spanish affirmative.

"I've tried hard to keep the ball down all season," he said. "Right now, it's just going smoother."

He faced critical points:

• With the bases loaded in the first, he got Justin Morneau to make the third out on a first-pitch change;

• With two in scoring position in the third, he got Torii Hunter to ground a curve back to the mound, and then he fanned Michael Cuddyer;

• With a run in and another in scoring position in the fifth, he fanned Hunter on a breaking ball.

"I can't get [Joe] Mauer out," he said of the catcher who had four hits, three off Hernandez. "But I work hardest to get Hunter; he's real hot right now. Fastballs in, changes and curves — everything."

In the fourth, Kenji Johjima led off with a single, and Willie Bloomquist bunted him over.

Morse got a fastball and drove it as far as a ball can be hit at Safeco Field and not leave the park.

Morse was in a trot when the ball hit the wall in center field a foot from gone. It became a double and an RBI since Johjima scored easily.

"It was a lesson: Run as hard as I hit the ball until someone tells me to slow down," Morse said. "But honestly, I thought my second RBI was bigger than the double."

Bob Finnigan: 206-464-8276 or bfinnigan@seattletimes.com