Mariners Click for 22 Runs

The addition of Brian Hunter’s speed to a lineup with Ken Griffey Jr.’s power gave the Seattle Mariners exactly what they needed.

Griffey hit two home runs, including a grand slam during an 11-run fifth inning, and tied his career high with six runs batted in Thursday in the Mariners’ highest-scoring game ever, a 22-6 rout of the Detroit Tigers at Seattle.

“He brings speed and we need that in a leadoff hitter,” Manager Lou Piniella said of Hunter, who went three for six with two runs and a stolen base in his first start since being traded from the Tigers on Wednesday.

“He helps us set our lineup better. Hitters behind him will get more fastballs to hit. That’s one of the advantages of speed. Let’s hope he does what he did in Detroit a couple of years ago.”

Hunter led the majors with 74 stolen bases in 1997. He had 42 last year.

Russ Davis drove in a career-high five runs as the Mariners broke the team record of 19 runs set twice against the Texas Rangers--on June 28, 1996, and May 20, 1994.

Rafael Bournigal also had two hits in the fifth, the biggest inning in Mariner history.

Detroit had not given up 11 runs in an inning since Sept. 2, 1959, against the Chicago White Sox. The 22 runs were the most given up by the Tigers since losing to the Minnesota Twins, 24-11, on April 24, 1996.

New York 5, Texas 3--Possibly playing their last game for Don Zimmer, the Yankees used a three-run homer from Tino Martinez and an inside-the-park homer from Chuck Knoblauch at Arlington, Texas.

Zimmer told the team the game would be his last as interim manager after Wednesday night’s 8-6 loss to the Rangers. He amended that Thursday, saying he’ll go whenever Joe Torre is ready to return--which could be as soon as this weekend at Kansas City.

Knoblauch led off the game with a line drive to center field that Tom Goodwin slid to catch but missed. The ball rolled to the wall, producing New York’s first inside-the-park homer since Derek Jeter did it Aug. 3, 1996.

The Yankees made the score 5-0 in the third on a run-scoring single by Bernie Williams and Martinez’s homer, his third in two days. He has five RBIs in his last two games after driving in only four in the first 18.

Ramiro Mendoza (3-1) cruised through eight innings, giving up an RBI double by Rusty Greer in the third and a two-run homer to Rafael Palmeiro in the eighth.

Cleveland 8, Oakland 3--Jim Thome, playing while he appeals a suspension, hit a two-run homer and Dave Burba threw a four-hitter at Oakland.

Travis Fryman added a two-run homer as the Indians, who completed a four-game sweep, improved to 16-5, the best record in the majors.

Omar Vizquel had an RBI triple, and Kenny Lofton and Roberto Alomar added run-scoring singles.

Burba (2-0) gave up a triple by Tony Phillips opening the bottom of the first, but then retired 12 straight batters before Jason Giambi led off the fifth with his seventh homer of the season. John Jaha got Oakland’s only other hits, a two-run homer and a single.

It was the first complete game by Burba since 1997 while pitching for the Cincinnati Reds.

Kansas City 15, Baltimore 5--Jermaine Dye and Tim Spehr each drove in four runs as the Royals romped at Baltimore.

Dye, who came in with a .239 batting average, snapped out of a four-for-27 slump with a flourish. He tripled in a run in the second inning, hit an RBI single in the fourth and doubled in the go-ahead runs in the sixth.

Dye has driven in 17 runs in his last 11 games and leads Kansas City with 19 RBIs. Needing a homer to hit for the cycle, he struck out in the eighth and walked in the ninth.

Spehr’s three-run homer and a solo shot by Carlos Febles highlighted a seven-run ninth.

Scott Erickson, who led the AL in complete games last year, fell to 0-5 for the first time in his career. He gave up six runs on eight hits and walked four in 5 2/3 innings before trudging off the mound with a 9.36 earned-run average.