Mariners rally after breaking up perfecto, but lose in 9th
<p>Seattle Mariners' Michael Saunders walks past his bouncing helmet after he slammed it down after striking out as Baltimore Orioles catcher Matt Wieters heads to the dugout in the fifth inning during a baseball game Tuesday, July 3, 2012, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)</p>
SEATTLE (AP) - Robert Andino homered in the ninth off Seattle reliever Charlie Furbush to give the Baltimore Orioles a 5-4 win over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night after starter Wei-Yin Chen flirted with a perfect game for more than six innings.
Andino's home run was his first since May 7 and fourth this season. It ended Furbush's (4-2) streak of 22 2/3 scoreless innings, the third longest by a reliever in Mariners history.
Jim Johnson pitched a perfect ninth for his 24th save. Darren O'Day (5-0) pitched just one-third of an inning, but picked up the win.
Baltimore reliever Pedro Strop struggled in the eighth when the Mariners scored three runs and tied the game. Michael Saunders' double ended Chen's night. Strop faced Justin Smoak, who was 2-for-2 with a walk in his career against Strop.
Smoak's single scored Saunders and John Jaso's pinch-hit single drove in Smoak following a Dustin Ackley single. Jaso is 4 for 10 this season pinch-hitting.
Strop walked Kyle Seager with the bases loaded to force in the tying run, ending his night after just one-third of an inning in which he allowed three hits, hit a batter, walked one and gave up two earned runs. Strop had allowed two earned runs in his prior 26 appearances combined.
Chen threw 7 1/3 innings, the first 6 1/3 perfect, allowed two hits and two earned runs while striking out a career-high nine.
Casper Wells' seventh-inning home run to left on a 3-2 pitch ended Chen's perfect run and the Mariners' night of careening toward infamy, since no team has had two perfect games thrown against them in a season.
Chicago's Phil Humber threw a perfect game against the Mariners on April 21.
Seattle starter Felix Hernandez lasted 5 1/3 innings, and allowed four earned runs and eight hits. He struck out eight and walked none.
Smoak led off the sixth with a soft liner after Chen had an extended wait during the Orioles' four-run rally in the top of the inning. Ackley flew out to left and Brendan Ryan popped out in foul territory to catcher Matt Wieters.
Chen was never threatened in the first five innings. The Mariners managed only one out in the outfield through the first five innings when Ichiro Suzuki flew to left leading off the game.
Ryan hit a line drive right back at Chen in the third that the left-hander snagged with his glove.
Baltimore pounced on Hernandez in the sixth for four runs and knocked him out of the game. The Orioles started the inning with four consecutive singles from Xavier Avery, J.J. Hardy, Chris Davis and Adam Jones. Jim Thome grounded out, but Wieters singled to center to score two runs and chase Hernandez.
The first run of the inning snapped a 20-inning scoreless streak for Hernandez, who will be participating in next week's All-Star game.