Choo drives in five runs as Indians beat Seattle

Associated Press

SEATTLE

The Seattle Mariners found out Shin-Soo Choo is one of those players who can do it all.

Choo drove in five runs with a bases-loaded double and a two-run home run to give the Cleveland Indians a 6-3 victory over the Mariners.

Choo, traded to the Indians by Seattle in 2006, hit a 3-1 fastball from Doug Fister (4-11) against the right-center-field wall in the Indians’ four-run sixth to score all three runners without a throw.

He added his two-run shot in the ninth to match his season-high for RBIs. Choo had five RBIs against the Chicago White Sox on April 18.

Choo leads Cleveland in home runs (16) and RBIs (68).

“He’s a stud,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “He hits good pitching. He hits right, left, he has good at-bats, he plays hard every day. I basically have to pull him off the field to give him a day off.

“He’s a legit complete player. Those words — five-tool player — are used a lot but he’s a legit five-tool guy. He can do it all on the field.”

Asdrubal Cabrera had three hits for the Indians.

Russell Branyan, traded from the Indians to the Mariners on June 26, hit his 21st home run, a two-run shot in the third.

Josh Tomlin (3-3), in jeopardy of being lifted during the Mariners’ three-run third, lasted six innings to pick up the win. He allowed seven hits, three runs, struck out five and walked none.

Chris Perez worked the ninth for his 17th save in 21 opportunities.

Indians pitchers retired 18 of the last 19 hitters.

Fister yielded a one-out single to Cabrera in the first inning then retired the next 14 batters.

Then in the sixth he seemingly couldn’t get anyone out.

Luis Valbuena led off the inning with a single. With one out, Michael Brantley and Cabrera singled, loading the bases to set up Choo’s first big inning.

Travis Hafner drove in Choo with a single to right. Jayson Nix followed with the fifth straight hit, a single to left that chased Fister.

Fister threw 32 pitches in the inning, retiring just one batter.

“It was like watching two different ball games,” Mariners manager Daren Brown said.