Mariners' Lee Dae-ho hits 7th homer

Seattle Mariners’ Lee Dae-ho, right, is greeted by teammates after scoring on his three-run home run against the San Diego Padres' in the eighth inning of a baseball game Monday, in Seattle. The Mariners won, 9-2. / AP-Yonhap

Lee’s 3-run homer help Mariners beat Padres 9-3

By Baek Byung-yeul

The Seattle Mariners’ Korean slugger Lee Dae-ho, 33, blasted his seventh home run of the season against the San Diego Padres, ending his team’s three-game losing streak, Monday (local time).

At Safeco Field in Seattle, Lee, who started as first baseman and batted seventh, hit a three-run shot off the Padres’ reliever Brandon Maurer in the bottom of the eighth, as the Mariners upped the lead 9-2. The Mariners won 9-3.

It was his seventh home run in 75 at bats and first home run since May 20. Including the home run, Lee went 2-for-4, improving his batting average from .254 to .267.

Lee, who has played as backup first baseman to Adam Lind, has recorded 20 hits including seven homers and 16 RBIs while having fewer at bats than Lind, who has 33 hits including five homers and 20 RBIs in 130 at bats so far this season.

With the win, the Mariners, who lost three straight to the Minnesota Twins last weekend, improved to 29 wins and 21 losses.

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ third baseman Kang Jung-ho had an RBI single in a game against the Miami Marlins. At Marlins Park, Kang started the game batting fourth and went 1-for-5.

With a runner on second base and two outs in the first inning, Kang hit a single to shallow right to score David Freese and give the Pirates a 1-0 lead. It was Kang’s 18th RBI. The Pirates won 10-0.

Another Korean major leaguer Kim Hyun-soo of the Baltimore Orioles made his sixth consecutive start in a game against the Boston Red Sox and went 0-for-3 with a walk.

At Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Kim started the game as the left fielder and batted second. Though he failed to add a hit, he has hit safely or been walked in seven straight games.