Mariners vs Yankees : 6 - 5

The Seattle Mariners passed out white towels at Safeco Field. It seemed like the perfect giveaway to signify an ongoing surrender.

Adrian Beltre gave 42,454 fans an unlikely, alternative use for the towels. They used them to salute Beltre's two home runs, including a ninth-inning drive off Ron Villone that lifted the Mariners over the New York Yankees 6-5 Tuesday night and stopped Seattle's 11-game losing streak.

Moments after teammate Yuniesky Betancourt implored him to "go out there and end this thing," Beltre lined an opposite-field drive on a shoulder-high 1-2 pitch from Villone just over the right-field fence.

Second baseman Nick Green #17 of the New York Yankees tumbles over Adrian Beltre #29 of the Seattle Mariners while attempting to turn a double play on August 22, 2006 at Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington.

Villone (3-2) stared for a long time into his locker after the game. He finally said the pitch "wasn't where it was supposed to be. It didn't break."

Coming off a five-game sweep at Boston, New York had two on with two outs in the ninth, but Julio Mateo (9-4) struck out Alex Rodriguez. The Yankees' AL East lead remained a season-high 6 1/2 games over the second-place Red Sox.

New York first baseman Jason Giambi pulled up twice chasing a foul ball early in the game and then left in the sixth inning with a tight left hamstring. Giambi, who said the leg has been bothering him for a couple of weeks, expects to play Wednesday.

Rodriguez, booed and then mocked by his former Seattle fans for striking out in his first two at-bats, hit a two-run homer in the sixth that put New York ahead 5-3. The shot off rookie reliever Eric O'Flaherty soared to the top of a tunnel in the second deck of left-field bleachers, about six rows from the top of the ballpark.

But the Mariners rallied in the seventh against Jaret Wright. With the bases loaded and one out, Richie Sexson hit a slow, potential double-play, two-hopper to shortstop Derek Jeter. Beltre's slide toppled second baseman Nick Green as Ichiro Suzuki scored.

"That's a huge thing ... and he's done it for us a couple of times this year," Ibanez said of Beltre, whom Seattle fans have vilified for not producing since signing with the Mariners after the 2004 season.

After Beltre's gritty play, Villone entered to face Ibanez, who was batting .214 against lefties. Ibanez singled in the tying run.

Beltre's first home run gave Seattle a 2-0 lead in the first inning off Jeff Karstens, who made his major league debut. Beltre had his first multihomer game of the season and raised his home-run total to 15.

Karstens, the 10th Yankees starter this season, allowed one more hit and left with a lead after giving up three runs and six hits in 5 2-3 innings.

Karstens, demoted to Double-A Trenton from May to July after going 0-5 at Triple-A Columbus at the beginning of the season, is scheduled to start again on Sunday at the Los Angeles Angels.

Bobby Abreu hit his 200th career home run, his second since the Yankees acquired him from Philadelphia on July 30 and his second since June 13. The third-inning, three-run drive off starter Cha Seung Baek erased the 2-0 deficit, but Sexson tied it with a solo homer in the third.

Baek, called up from Triple-A Tacoma before the game, allowed three hits and three runs in five innings. He struck out six and walked three.