Hideki Matsui’s homer lifts Angels, 4-2

Reporting from Seattle — Ichiro Suzuki came within inches of robbing Hideki Matsui of a home run Wednesday night, leaving the large Japanese media contingent in Safeco Field feeling somewhat robbed.

Matsui’s two-run shot over the outstretched glove of Suzuki in the seventh inning turned a one-run deficit into a one-run lead and pushed the Angels toward a 4-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners.

Had the acrobatic right fielder come up with the catch to deny the Angels’ designated hitter, it would have been one of the biggest stories of the season in Japan.

“Probably, a few companies would have put it on the front page,” Matsui said through a translator. “Baseball is very popular in Japan too.”

Jordan Walden struck out two in a scoreless seventh, Kevin Jepsen, who was tagged for three eighth-inning runs and the loss Tuesday night, struck out two in a scoreless eighth, and Fernando Rodney struck out two in a scoreless ninth for his eighth save.

Trevor Bell gave up two runs and nine hits in six innings, striking out six and walking none, to earn the win, and Alberto Callaspo hit a solo homer in the eighth for an insurance run.

“I was impressed with how Jordan went after guys, and it was a great bounce-back game from Jepsen,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “And Fernando has been pitching well in the closer role.”

The Angels took a 1-0 lead in the first when Reggie Willits doubled to left, took third on Callaspo’s grounder to shortstop and scored on Howie Kendrick’s grounder to second.

The Mariners tied it in the third on Franklin Gutierrez’s RBI single and went ahead in the fifth.

But Mike Napoli doubled off the center-field wall in the seventh, and with two out — and the .165-hitting Brandon Wood on deck — Matsui drove an 0-and-1 pitch from left-hander Jason Vargas into the right-field seats for his 18th homer of the season and a 3-2 lead.

Matsui, who has often been benched against left-handers in the second half, entered the at-bat hitting just .202 against lefties, but all three of his career hits off Vargas have been home runs.

“He’s the type of pitcher who usually pitches well,” Matsu said, “All of the pitches I’ve hit were mistakes that caught a big part of the plate, and I was able to good put swings on them.”

High-ceiling prospect

General Manager Tony Reagins wasn’t kidding when he said the player to be named in Friday’s trade of closer Brian Fuentes to the Minnesota Twins would be a “prospect with upside.”

The deal was completed Wednesday with the Angels acquiring pitcher Loek Van Mil, a 7-foot-1 right-hander who is the tallest player in professional baseball.

Van Mil, 25, went 1-2 with a 6.37 earned run average in 23 relief appearances double-A New Britain after beginning the season at Class-A Fort Myers, where he was 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in three outings.

The Netherlands native, who will report to the Angels’ double-A team at Arkansas, has been known to hit 94-95 mph with his fastball, but his secondary pitches need work, and he has had some elbow problems.

“I went down to see him pitch in a rookie-league game in spring training about five years ago,” said Angels right fielder Torii Hunter, a former Twins star. “He was 6-11 then and throwing about 88 mph. It seemed like he was slapping those kids in the batter’s box every time he let go of the ball.”

Short hops

The Angels on Wednesday activated relievers Jason Bulger and Brian Stokes, who spent most of August on rehabilitation assignments at triple-A Salt Lake. Stokes had been sidelined since May 11 because of shoulder fatigue; Bulger had been out since June 11 because of a shoulder strain.

mike.digiovanna@latimes.com