07/02/2006 2:53 AM ET Box > Mariners climb out of five-run hole Ichiro's sixth-inning homer, spotless bullpen help top Rockies By CJ Bowles / MLB.com

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• Ibanez robs Carroll:  350K

Such was the case though Saturday evening at Safeco Field in the Mariners' 8-7 come-from-behind victory against the Rockies.

Jake Woods, a seldom-used lefty, became the center of attention both on the field and in the clubhouse due to his 2 2/3 innings of stellar relief against a Colorado offense that plated seven runs in the first three innings.

"A long guy has a tough job because he comes in and he doesn't get a whole lot of credit," said Mariners manager Mike Hargrove. "If the guy you bring in long holds the scoreboard and gives you a chance to do what we did tonight, that's absolutely golden."

What the Mariners did was mount a comeback from five runs down that featured a pair of two-run home runs. The first came from Carl Everett in the fourth and the second was contributed by Ichiro Suzuki in the sixth to give Seattle a one-run lead that it would not relinquish.

Again, the heroes of the game continued to be relievers.

Julio Mateo came in with one out and the bases loaded in the sixth. He retired the next two batters in order and then put down four more batters in a row. Mateo eventually became the pitcher of record and earned his fifth win of the season.

Next, lefty specialist George Sherrill was paired off against left-handed batters Cory Sullivan and Todd Helton. He fanned Sullivan and then coaxed Helton to weakly ground back to him to end the eighth.

Then in the ninth, J.J. Putz wasted no time to get a groundout and a pair of strikeouts to end the game. Putz has 15 saves in 16 save chances this season.

All told, the Mariners bullpen pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing only three hits and striking out five.

"Their bullpen came in and did a very good job for them tonight," said Rockies manager Clint Hurdle. "They didn't win 18 games in June by accident."

The first 2 2/3 innings did not go as well for Seattle. Starter Joel Pineiro struggled through the second inning, allowing five runs and was then relieved in the third after letting two more score.

"He had really good stuff coming out of the bullpen and he just tried too hard and overthrew," explained Hargrove.

The damage against Pineiro would have been worse, had it not been for a highlight-reel catch to begin the game by left fielder Raul Ibanez.

When leadoff batter Jamey Carroll rocketed one to left, it looked like the Rockies would take the early lead. But Ibanez tracked the ball to the wall and then dug his left foot into the padding, which gave him enough lift to reach his arm over the wall and come down with the ball in his glove.

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"I thought it came out," said Ibanez. "There's a piece of metal out there behind the wall and I hit it and thought it popped out. It was awesome to bring it back. I've done it before, but that was the best one."

Carroll said that he didn't see the play because he was rounding first and thinking about going for a double. Then he saw the umpire calling him out and he immediately knew what had happened.

"I'm sure I'll see it on 'SportsCenter' a couple of times tonight," said Carroll.

When Hargrove was asked how many plays he'd seen like the one make by Ibanez, he recalled seeing one on a replay of a Japanese player and then one by Ichiro last season.

Another major contributor to Saturday's win was the crowd of 33,638 that found numerous reasons to rise and cheer during the game.

"Our fans tonight were absolutely tremendous," offered Hargrove without being prompted by reporters. "They really gave us a lot of energy tonight."

"When the crowd's like that, it definitely helps," added Ibanez, who also made mention of Woods' solid pitching. "It gives you energy and life. They were definitely a huge part of the game."

CJ Bowles is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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