A-Rod's Streak Helps M's Win

Chris Carpenter was out of control.

Alex Rodriguez homered for the fifth straight game and the Seattle Mariners took advantage of nine walks by Carpenter as the Mariners beat the Blue Jays 7-5 Monday night.

"I couldn't find the strike zone," Carpenter said. "Even when you make good pitches, the umpire is not going to give them to you, and I don't expect them to when you've been all over the zone all night."

Carpenter (9-6) tied a team record by walking nine in 6 2-3 innings. He lost for the first time in 11 starts since May 28.

"It was mechanical," he said. "I just need to throw on the side and I'll be all right."

Rodriguez's two-run shot off John Frascatore in the eighth inning, his 32nd homer of the season, traveled 423 feet into the second deck at SkyDome. It gave Seattle a 7-3 lead.

"It ended up being the difference," Rodriguez said. "Five in a row is great. Any time you got a guy like Ken Griffey in front of you and Edgar Martinez behind you, you have a great advantage."

The major league record for consecutive games with a home run is eight. Griffey Jr. (1993), Don Mattingly (1987) and Dale Long (1956) all accomplished the feat.

All of Rodriguez's homers have come since he was activated from the disabled list May 14. He is 10-for-19 with 12 RBIs in his last five games.

"I'm just seeing the ball well, and I have a nice stroke,"Rodriguez said.

Dan Wilson drove in two runs and Jamie Moyer (12-6) blanked the Blue Jays on two hits until the seventh. Moyer understood Carpenter's plight.

"Walks kill a pitcher," Moyer said. "We just about scored our first four runs on walks. I feel for him. It didn't seem like Carpenter was that far off."

Jose Mesa got three outs for his 26th save, allowing an RBI grounder to Willie Greene and a run-scoring single to Shannon Stewart. Mesa then retired Brian McRae on a game-ending grounder.

Toronto took a 2-0 lead on Wilson's sacrifice fly in the second and his RBI single in the sixth. Bases-loaded walks to Edgar Martinez and Ryan Jackson made it 4-0 in the seventh.

Darrin Fletcher's two-run single and Homer Bush's RBI single pulled the Blue Jays to 4-3 in the seventh, all following an error by third baseman Russ Davis.

Griffey had an RBI single in the eighth and Rodriguez followed with his home run.

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