Mariners lose both game and Cano in Detroit

Even if Seattle had won, this would have been a tough day for the Mariners. Robinson Cano left the game in the third inning with a fracture in his right hand, and the Mariners went on to lose 5-4 to the Detroit Tigers on Sunday when Jose Iglesias hit an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth. The defeat marked the first time all season that Seattle lost a series on the road, but the bigger issue is the health of the Mariners’ standout second baseman.

“I see a specialist on Tuesday morning. They didn’t say anything about how long I might be out, but it is broken bad, so there might be surgery,” Cano said.

“All I can do is do whatever it takes to get 100 per cent and get back as soon as I can.”

Cano left after being hit by a pitch. He hasn’t missed a game this season and has played in at least 150 in 11 straight years.

The Mariners (22-17) have looked like contenders for their first post-season spot since 2001, but losing Cano for an extended period would obviously hurt. The team said he has a fractured fifth metacarpal.

“It’s disappointing to lose both the game and our second baseman,” manager Scott Servais said. “That’s just a freak accident — something that happens in this game. Everyone knows what he means to this team, and he’s down right now, but we have other guys who can step up.” Kyle Seager hit a solo homer in the second for Seattle, but Niko Goodrum homered and had three hits for the Tigers. Goodrum’s single in the ninth allowed JaCoby Jones to advance to third with nobody out, and Iglesias followed with a single up the middle off Juan Nicasio (1-2).

Canadian James Paxton allowed three runs and six hits in six innings for the Mariners in his first start since throwing a no-hitter Tuesday at Toronto. Paxton retired the first six hitters he faced before allowing two runs in the third on an RBI single by Mikie Mahtook and a run-scoring groundout by Pete Kozma. That gave Detroit a 2-1 lead. Seattle tied it in the fourth on Dee Gordon’s RBI single.

The Tigers were nowhere near full strength, with slugger Miguel Cabrera on the disabled list and regular starters Nicholas Castellanos and Jeimer Candelario also out of the lineup.

Shane Greene (2-2) pitched a scoreless ninth for the win.