Devil Rays top Mariners

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Josh Phelps hit a two-run homer to lead Tampa Bay to a 5-4 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night, the Devil Rays' fourth straight win.

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Phelps' fourth homer in his last seven games put the Devil Rays ahead 5-2 in the seventh. He homered just once in his first 29 games this season.

Jorge Cantu and Alex Sanchez had run-scoring singles during a two-run fifth for Tampa Bay. The Devil Rays, at 16-12, are off to their best start ever at home.

Tampa Bay starter Mark Hendrickson (2-2) gave up two runs and six hits in 5 2-3 innings.

Raul Ibanez had a two-run double in the eighth for the Mariners, who have lost four straight overall and seven in a row on the road.

Ibanez's double got Seattle within 5-4. He advanced to third on shortstop Julio Lugo's throwing error on the play, but was left stranded when Bret Boone flied out against closer Danys Baez.

Baez went 1 1-3 innings for his seventh save in 10 opportunities.

Boone put Seattle up 1-0 with a run-scoring grounder in the second. The Devil Rays tied it in the fourth on Carl Crawford's bases loaded sacrifice fly.

Mariners starter Gil Meche (4-3) lasted just 4 1-3 innings, allowing three runs and four hits. He struck out two and walked five in his 104-pitch outing.

Julio Mateo replaced Meche with runners on the corners and allowed a first-pitch run-scoring single to Cantu. Sanchez made it 3-1 with his RBI single.

Seattle scored just once - on Richie Sexson's RBI single to pull within 3-2 - despite getting four hits and a walk in the sixth. After Miguel Olivo and Ichiro Suzuki started the inning with singles, Randy Winn's hard liner to second was turned into a double play. Hendrickson was lifted after Adrian Beltre and Sexson singled, and Ibanez walked. Seth McClung entered and retired Boone on a bases loaded flyball.

Travis Lee tripled off an overhanging catwalk approximately 155 feet above the playing surface to open the seventh. Phelps followed with his homer off Mateo, who allowed two runs and six hits in 1 2-3 innings.

Notes: Suzuki went 1-for-5 in the teams' first meeting this year. He led the majors with.372 batting average last season, but hit just.281 against Tampa Bay.... Suzuki didn't run out a third-inning grounder to first because he thought it was a foul ball. A television replay showed the ball might have bounced up and hit the bat a second time, which would make it a foul ball.... Devil Rays RF Aubrey Huff has gone 32 games and 113 at-bats without homering. He has two this season after hitting 29 in 2004.... Boone went 0-for-4 and is hitless in 15 at-bats.... The Mariners (18-29) are 1-10 when the opponent starts a left-hander.