Ramirez loses no-hit bid in eighth

It took six Mariners to throw a no-hitter against the Dodgers on Friday night. About 35 miles south in Tacoma, Erasmo Ramirez nearly pitched one by himself.

Nearly.

The Mariners' No. 12 prospect was perfect through five innings and took a no-hitter into the eighth before he and the Triple-A Rainiers dropped a 2-0 decision to the Salt Lake Bees.

Ramirez (3-2) said he'd never gone that deep in a game without allowing a hit.

"I went, like, 6 2/3 [innings] in Double-A, but just that, never this far," he said. "It was like, 'Oh, my God.' It was awesome."

With two outs in the eighth, Doug Deeds hit a grounder up the middle. Tacoma second baseman Scott Savastano made a diving stop but was unable to make the throw to first in time. Drew Heid hit Ramirez's next pitch over the right-field fence for his first Triple-A homer.

"That ground ball went for a base hit and I was just like, 'All right, that's a hit, no-hitter over' and continued working," Ramirez said. "Then, [the next batter] homers. "What can I do? That's baseball."

The 22-year-old Nicaraguan was charged with two runs on two hits over a season-high eight innings, walking two and striking out five. He's gone at least six innings and allowed two runs or fewer in three straight starts.

"In my mind, it's like, you go to the game, try to help the team win. That's my goal, always," Ramirez said. "I want to show the team that I'll go to the mound aggressive. I think I did my part, but [Salt Lake] did theirs, too. Someone had to win."

The right-hander has a 3.11 ERA in seven starts with the Rainiers, striking out 29 over 37 2/3 innings while walking seven. Aside from a May 22 outing against Iowa, Ramirez has held opponents to two runs or fewer in every start this season.

He's also worked 11 innings over seven relief appearances in the Majors, posting a 2.45 ERA.

Fellow big league veteran David Pauley took a no-hitter into the sixth before Luis Rodriguez broke it up with a two-out single. Kevin Johnson (1-2), Francisco Rodriguez and Ryan Brasier combined to finish off the Bees' three-hit shutout.