Scott Kazmir saw Indians manager Terry Francona coming from the other side of the dugout. The customary outing-ending handshake was inevitable, so the pitcher headed down the steps and ran into the tunnel.
Kazmir did not want to come out of Wednesday’s game.
“I was just playing with him,” Kazmir said with a smile.
Kazmir was toying around with plenty of people. In the finale of what had been a rough road trip, the left-hander had his way with the Mariners lineup, guiding Cleveland to a 10-1 rout that served as a sigh of relief for the Tribe. After four one-run losses in five games, heading home on the heels of a blowout victory had the men laughing and the music blasting in the clubhouse.
The Indians offense woke from its recent slumber with an outburst highlight by the first grand slam of Michael Bourn’s career. The swift center fielder also opened the game with a bunt single to ignite a three-run rally and made a nice catch on a Kyle Seager liner. Finally, the breaks that had gone against the Tribe were causing fits for the other side.
It was the kind of afternoon that makes for a happy flight home.
“That was much-needed and a good day,” Francona said. “It’s just nice to bounce back, because we had a couple tough ones. It was good to see our guys see some results.”
The starting pitching that has been sharp lately for the Indians was out in force once again.
For the first time in his career, Kazmir allowed only one hit in eight innings. He did so with a fastball that sat in the 92-96 mph range throughout his outing and an effective mix of sliders, changeups and cutters. The result was a Seattle lineup that looked overmatched and perplexed.
Kazmir (6-4) created 13 outs via ground balls, ended with seven strikeouts and navigated his way around a pair of walks. The lone hit off him was a leadoff single to Justin Smoak in the fifth.
The Mariners lit up Kazmir for five runs in three innings on May 20, but that might as well have been years ago.
The pitcher’s latest performance halted Seattle’s eight-game winning streak.
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