SEATTLE (AP) — Justin Smoak's one-out single in the bottom of the ninth scored pinch-runner Munenori Kawasaki from second when the throw home hit Kawasaki in the back, giving the Mariners a 2-1 win over the San Francisco Giants on Sunday.
Sergio Romo (2-1) allowed back-to-back singles to Kyle Seager and Jesus Montero to open the ninth before being replaced. After Michael Saunders failed to bunt the runners over, Smoak lined a single to left off Javier Lopez.
Tom Wilhelmsen (3-1) pitched a tense, but scoreless, ninth inning.
San Francisco starter Madison Bumgarner allowed three hits in eight innings. He struck out four and walked one.
Felix Hernandez threw seven innings, allowed one run, struck out seven and walked one.
Wilhelmsen walked Pablo Sandoval to load the bases with one out in the ninth, bringing the National League's leading hitter coming into Sunday, Melky Cabrera, to the plate. Wilhelmsen struck him out on three pitches after a four-pitch walk to the previous batter.
Nate Schierholtz pinch hit for Buster Posey, and grounded out to second to end the inning.
Bumgarner walked Dustin Ackley with one out in the eighth to end a streak of 18 retired batters. Brendan Ryan followed with a single before Bumgarner got a groundout from Ichiro Suzuki and struck out Franklin Gutierrez.
Brandon Crawford led off the seventh with the first hit against Hernandez since the third inning. He was thrown out when Emmanuel Burriss' bunt was scooped up and thrown to second by catcher Miguel Olivo. Hernandez dove to his stomach to avoid Olivo's throw and Olivo ended up on the ground a couple feet away after tumbling on the follow through.
Hernandez struck out Pablo Sandoval with his 113th pitch to end the threat.
Brandon League took over for Hernandez in the eighth. With two on and two out, Smoak dove to his right at first to smother a grounder by Hector Sanchez, then flipped to League to keep the game tied.
Hernandez escaped the first allowing just one run, despite three hits and a walk, then gave up just two hits over the next four innings, effectively mixing in his curveball for strikes. He closed the fifth by striking out Posey looking.
Bumgarner was right with Hernandez. Ackley's sacrifice fly scored Casper Wells and squared the game at one in the second. Wells slid to the inside of home plate to avoid Hector Sanchez's tag at the plate. Olivo moved to third on the play, though Bumgarner induced a groundout from Ryan to close the inning.
Ackley's fly out began Bumgarner's five-inning stretch without a runner.
Hernandez had been struggling. He tinkered with his lineup during his bullpen work earlier in the week, trying to find a remedy for his recent woes. Hernandez's ERA was 6.36 over his previous six starts, during which he was 1-4.
League's third pitch bounced past Olivo and hit plate umpire Andy Fletcher in the right wrist. He came out of the game and was replaced by crew chief Joe West, who had been working second base. After a 10-minute delay, play resumed.
NOTES: Giants manager Bruce Bochy said struggling starter Tim Linceum will make his next start and insists the two-time Cy Young Award winner is close to regaining his form. . Mariners manager Eric Wedge is keeping Wilhelmsen as his closer. Wedge had said he hoped to move Brandon League back into the role, but Wilhelmsen's success is forcing the manager to keep Wilhelmsen there.
