Ibanez lift Mariners in ninth

By Gregg Bell, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS From left, Seattle Mariners Vladimir Balentien, J.J. Putz, Adrian Beltre, and Jose Lopez await Mariners' Raul Ibanez at the plate after Ibanez hit a walk-off solo home run in the ninth inning to give the Mariners a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, Thursday, Aug. 7, 2008, in an MLB baseball game at Safeco Field in Seattle. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Ted S. Warren SEATTLE - Raul Ibanez lined a pitch from Dan Wheeler inside the right-field foul pole, Seattle's first game-ending home run in its lost season, and the Mariners beat the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays 2-1 on Thursday night. Ibanez's fourth career walkoff home run prompted a wild, on-field celebration by the team with the AL's worst record. On-deck batter Adrian Beltre threw his batting helmet into the air the moment the ball left the bat... [read full story]