Mariners lead Indians, 3-2, through six innings.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- This is a daily briefing of the Indians' 2010 regular season. The Tribe plays host to the Mariners tonight in the opener of a three-game series at Progressive Field.
Pitching matchup: RHP Fausto Carmona (11-9, 3.90) vs. RHP David Pauley (0-4, 3.38).
In-game updates:
The Mariners led the Indians, 3-2, through six innings.
The speed of Ichiro Suzuki carried the Mariners to a 1-0 lead in the first.
Suzuki led off with a poorly struck grounder over the mound. Shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera charged and threw on-target but Suzuki beat it.
With Chone Figgins batting, Suzuki stole second. He moved to third on Figgins' grounder to first and scored on Russell Branyan's grounder to second. Jason Donald, as part of a shift, erased Branyan from shallow right field.
The Indians tied it in the second on back-to-back doubles by Donald and Chris Gimenez with two outs. Both were hit to left.
The Mariners pulled ahead 2-1 in the fourth. They might have produced more if not for an ill-advised decision by third-base coach Lee Tinsley.
Russell Branyan, acquired from the Indians on June 26, led off with a double to left. With one out, Branyan moved to third on former Indian Franklin Gutierrez's grounder to second baseman Donald, who was shaded up the middle.
Casey Kotchman chopped to the mound. Carmona reached up to get a glove on the ball but failed to secure it. Cabrera, cutting across, did not make the play, either. It was correctly ruled an RBI single.
Adam Moore singled to center, Kotchman stopping at second. Michael Saunders singled sharply to right, Shin-Soo Choo fielding cleanly.
Inexplicably, Tinsley, stationed two-thirds of the way down the line, pinwheeled the speed-challenged Kotchman. Even a fast runner would have been in trouble based on when Choo secured the ball.
Choo fired to catcher Chris Gimenez, who patiently waited until Kotchman lumbered home.
It did not seem possible, but Tinsley out-did himself in the sixth.
After the Indians tied the score in the fifth on Choo's two-out, RBI single, the Mariners resumed staggering Carmona.
Jose Lopez opened the sixth with a single to right. Gutierrez doubled into the left-field corner.
Never mind that there was none out: Tinsley waved in Lopez. Cabrera relayed Trevor Crowe's throw and cut down Lopez with room to spare.
Later in the inning, Seattle took the 3-2 lead on Donald's two-out error.
Pregame notes:
The relievers Perez -- setup man Rafael and closer Chris -- have been locked in since June 1.
Rafael Perez entered Friday having allowed four earned runs in 29 1/3 innings of 32 appearances, lowering his ERA from 7.20 to 3.25.
The lanky lefty finally has regained the feel for his nasty slider. Just as importantly, he has been able to command the fastball early in counts, thereby giving him more options late.
"He has gradually improved since the beginning of the season,'' Indians manager Manny Acta said. "It has a lot to do with strike one. There's no magic to it: Every major-league hitter becomes a little weaker when he's behind in the count. Get ahead, and you can get hitters to chase pitches outside of the zone.''
Righty Chris Perez had allowed five earned runs in 28 innings of 28 appearances, lowering his ERA from 3.44 to 2.33.
"A little luck, a little skill and a lot of fastballs,'' he said. "I've been able to run the fastball away from lefties and in on righties. The pitches haven't been straight. And I've made better pitches after I've fallen behind in the count; they're on the corners instead of over the plate.''
Big-league Choo: Tribe right fielder Shin-Soo Choo does not want to answer questions about his .335 average.
Why? Because it is only half of the story.
If Choo explains how he was hitting .335 at home in 188 official at-bats entering Friday night, he needs to explain the .241 average in 191 at-bats on the road.
Where Choo stands, no explanation is necessary.
"I'm the same player,'' he said. "Nothing's different when I go to the plate at home or on the road. It's just one of those things.''
Choo is a student of the game and stats junkie, so he is well aware of the disparity.
"I hear about it and see it on the websites -- they write about it in the newspaper in Korea -- but I'm not worried about it,'' he said. "I can't worry about it. If I do, it's going to affect how I play.''
Choo was hitting .288 overall after going 1-for-13 in a three-game series against Baltimore at Progressive Field.
"How did that happen?'' Choo said with a smile. "How did I only go 1-for-13 at home? The answer is, that's baseball.''
Choo escaped serious injury Thursday night. He feared he had broken a bone when a pitch from Orioles righty Kevin Millwood struck him on the back of the right hand. Choo stayed in the game, iced the hand afterward and returned to the lineup Friday against Seattle.
"Just a bruise,'' he said. "Everything's OK.''
Acta said: "That would have been a big-time blow. It would have left us pretty much naked. I know he was scared because of what he had been through.''
From July 4-22, Choo was on the disabled list because of a right-thumb sprain. Choo and the Indians initially feared he might be sidelined 6-8 weeks.
Even with the missed time, Choo entered Friday leading the Tribe in multiple categories, including homers (14), doubles (23), RBI (55) and steals (14). He is the only active Indian with double-digit homers.
Choo also is a quality defender. Acta made it a point Friday afternoon to rave about Choo's work in the field.
"He's been money in the outfield,'' Acta said. "I'm very, very happy with his routes, his jumps. It seems like every time he dives for a ball, he comes up with it, which is not easy to do. It takes a lot of hand-eye coordination and concentration. And word has gotten around the league that his arm can affect a ball game.''
Pronk update: Designated hitter Travis Hafner, who has been on the disabled list since Aug. 3 because of right-shoulder inflammation, took batting practice Friday.
"He looked fine,'' Acta said. "He swung the bat well.''
Hafner will have another BP session Saturday, after which he and the bosses will decide when he rejoins the club. Hafner will have a short rehab assignment or accompany the team on a trip that begins Tuesday in Kansas City, Mo.
Hafner's DL stint is retroactive to July 29.
Laffey matter: Aaron Laffey threw a bullpen session Friday afternoon. He has been on the disabled list since July 23 because of shoulder fatigue.
Russ Bus returns: Russell Branyan, acquired by Seattle from Cleveland on June 26, started at designated hitter Friday and batted third. He was hitting .211 with four homers and 11 RBI in 26 games for the Mariners.
The Indians received minor leaguers Ezequiel Carrera and Juan Diaz for Branyan, who hit 10 homers in 52 games for Cleveland.
"I was definitely surprised the trade happened, especially the timing of it,'' Branyan said. "But that's part of the game, and I've been traded several times.''
Branyan's best season came last year with the Mariners. He hit 31 homers in 116 games before back trouble shut him down. He has been playing with a herniated disk this season.
"It was a little crazy knowing I'd be going back to the team I was with last year,'' he said. "And I had a chance to sign with them in the offseason. I was sad to leave Cleveland, but I'm excited to be back here.''
Branyan made his major-league debut with the Indians in 1998. He was in the Cleveland system until the 2002 season, when the Reds acquired him.
King Felix: Mariners right-hander Felix Hernandez, who starts Sunday, is a Cy Young Award candidate despite a losing record (8-9). In 25 starts, he has allowed 157 hits, walked 48 and struck out 165 in 182 1/3 innings. He has given up three or fewer earned runs 22 times.
Lineups:
Mariners (44-71) -- 1. Ichiro Suzuki rf; 2. Chone Figgins 2b; 3. Russell Branyan dh; 4. Jose Lopez 3b; 5. Franklin Gutierrez cf; 6. Casey Kotchman 1b; 7. Adam Moore c; 8. Michael Saunders lf; 9. Josh Wilson ss; and Pauley.
Indians (48-67) -- 1. Michael Brantley cf; 2. Asdrubal Cabrera ss; 3. Shin-Soo Choo rf; 4. Jordan Brown dh; 5. Trevor Crowe lf; 6. Andy Marte 1b; 7. Luis Valbuena 3b; 8. Jason Donald 2b; 9. Chris Gimenez c; and Carmona.
Umpires:
P -- Eric Cooper; 1b -- Mike Reilly; 2b -- Chad Fairchild; 3b -- Todd Tichenor.