UPDATED: The Indians flirt with being no-hit again Friday night. It doesn't happen, but they do lose, 1-0, to Luke French and Seattle.
View full sizeThe Indians' Lou Marson is caught in a rundown between first and second by the Mariners' Josh Wilson in the third inning Friday in Seattle. Marson was tagged out.SEATTLE, Wash. -- When a team has a chronic problem hitting and scoring runs, this kind of thing is going to keep happening.
Yes, the Indians danced the dance of the no-hitter again Friday night at Safeco Field. No, Detroit's Armando Galarraga wasn't traded to the Mariners, but the left-hander who did it to them had Tigers roots.
Luke French held the Indians hitless through six innings before Duncan singled in the seventh to end his no-hitter. Still, French pitched the Mariners to a 1-0 victory over the Indians on a combined three-hitter with relievers Brandon League and David Aardsma.
French (4-4, 3.64) allowed one hit, struck out four and walked three in seven innings. He threw 99 pitches, 64 for strikes.
"I didn't have the feeling we were going to get no-hit," Duncan said. "The later the game went, the more we were getting on him."
In a game featuring offensively challenged last-place teams, the Indians came out second best. Seattle has the lowest batting average and has scored the fewest runs in the American League, but they were one run better than the Indians on Friday night.
The Indians tried to rally in the ninth against Aardsma. Pinch-hitter Trevor Crowe drew a leadoff walk, but was thrown out on a hit-and-run play with Michael Brantley missing a tough pitch down and away. It proved to be big play because Brantley and Asdrubal Cabrera followed with singles. Shin-Soo Choo fouled out to left, but Brantley and Cabrera advanced on a wild pitch with Duncan at the plate.
Aardsma struck out Duncan on a 3-2 pitch after a long at-bat for his 27th save. Duncan chased a high pitch.
"I should have lowered my strike zone," Duncan said. "But in a situation like that, sometimes you get caught chasing pitches. It's something to learn from."
French started the seventh by retiring Cabrera, but walked Choo. Duncan, down in the count, 1-2, singled through the middle to end the drama. The inning ended when Jayson Nix lined out to left and Choo was caught off second base by Michael Saunders for an inning-ending double play.
View full sizeIndians starter Fausto Carmona gave up just one run on four hits in eight innings, but it still wasn't enough."He was throwing only 83 mph to 84 mph, but it looked a lot harder than that," said first baseman Andy Marte.
Fausto Carmona (11-14, 4.05) was the hard-luck loser. He allowed one run in the first and that was enough to hand him his sixth loss in as many starts. Carmona allowed four hits in his third complete game of the season. He struck out six and walked five.
"Fausto kept us in the game after giving up the run in the first," said manager Manny Acta.
After scoring six runs on 12 hits Thursday, the Indians were held hitless through the first six innings.
French walked Lou Marson with two out in the third. Then he caught Marson attempting to steal second to end the inning.
Choo, who drove in five runs in Thursday's 6-3 victory, walked with two out in the fourth. French retired Duncan on a fly ball to left.
The Mariners took a 1-0 lead in the first.
Ichiro Suzuki opened the game with an infield single. He took second on Chone Figgins walk. Franklin Gutierrez singled for a 1-0 lead.
After Gutierrez's single, Carmona walked Russell Branyan to load the bases.
With a big inning percolating, Carmona struck out Jose Lopez and induced a 4-6-3 double play grounder from the bat of Casey Kotchman to limit the damage.
Carmona leads the AL with 26 double plays.
This is French's third tour with the Mariners this year. The former Detroit Tiger went 11-3 with a 2.94 ERAS in 17 starts at Class AAA Tacoma between trips to Seattle.
The Mariners acquired French on July 31, 2009 from the Tigers in exchange for Jarrod Washburn. They also received lefty Mauricio Robles.
The Indians have flirted with being no-hit this season. On June 2 Galarraga was denied a no-hitter and a perfect game when first base umpire Jim Joyce made a bad call on what should have been the 27th and final out of the game at Comerica Park.
Joyce called Jason Donald safe at first when replays showed he was out. Galarraga settled for a one-hit shutout in Detroit's 3-0 victory.
To reach this Plain Dealer Reporter: phoynes@plaind.com, 216-999-5158