Amazing rally lifts Angels

Maybe this will be the game that snaps the Angels out of their two-month funk, that applies a jolt to a team mired in mediocrity.

Trailing by seven, the Angels rallied for eight runs in the final four innings to defeat the Seattle Mariners, 9-8, on Sunday, with Kendry Morales’ two-out, bases-loaded single capping a three-run ninth that gave the Angels a dramatic, walk-off victory.

Instead of winging off on a nine-game trip to Toronto, Detroit and Tampa Bay after a 1-5 homestand, the Angels avoided a three-game sweep and went 2-4 against Seattle and the Chicago White Sox.

Instead of being 5 1/2 games behind Texas in the American League West, they are 4 1/2 out after overcoming their largest deficit in a win since a 10-7 victory at Texas on July 15, 1996, a game in which the Angels trailed 7-0.

And instead of answering more questions about their spotty offense and atrocious bullpen, they relished a win that featured an abundance of quality at-bats and 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.

“It was very important to close this homestand with a big win, because that can carry over to the road trip,” said Torii Hunter, who capped a four-run sixth inning with a two-run home run. “It’s something positive. We had a rough week, to be honest with you.”

It looked like it would get even rougher when Ervin Santana was rocked for eight runs and 10 hits, including two home runs, in 5 1/3 innings, just six days after he was tagged for seven runs and nine hits in one inning in a 17-3 loss to the White Sox.

It is obvious the right-hander, who missed the first six weeks of the season because of an elbow ligament sprain, isn’t close to regaining his 2008 All-Star form, when he was 16-7 with a 3.49 earned-run average.

His fastball, which consistently hits 95 mph when he’s in peak form, topped out at 92 mph and had little life. His off-speed stuff seemed flat.

The Mariners scored twice in the first, once in the second, three times in the third and twice in the sixth to take an 8-1 lead, with Endy Chavez and Ichiro Suzuki hitting homers.

Santana said his elbow is pain-free but acknowledged he doesn’t have the same life on his pitches.

“Last year I threw 95 to 97 mph, and this year I’m at 89 to 90 mph, and the movement on my slider is not the same,” Santana said.

“But I’m 100% confident it’s going to come back.”

After Santana left, an Angels offense that scored 13 runs and hit .220 overall and .182 with runners in scoring position in five previous games came to life.

Erick Aybar was hit by a Garrett Olson pitch to start the sixth, Chone Figgins singled, Bobby Abreu hit a run-scoring single, and Vladimir Guerrero hit a sacrifice fly. Hunter lined a two-run homer, his 12th of the season, to left to make it 8-5.

Figgins singled with two out in the seventh, stole second and scored on Abreu’s single to make it 8-6, and a pair of superb defensive plays prevented the Mariners from scoring after Suzuki doubled and took third on a bunt in the eighth.

With the infield in, Aybar back-handed Adrian Beltre’s grounder to shortstop and fired home for the out.

“I was yelling [home], but I didn’t think he had a chance,” Figgins said. “Erick is the best I’ve seen at moving side to side with that kind of arm strength.”

Ken Griffey Jr. then doubled to right, but a relay from Abreu to Howie Kendrick to Mike Napoli gunned down Beltre at the plate.

Maicer Izturis opened the ninth with a walk against Seattle closer David Aardsma, who had a 1.09 ERA in 24 games. Figgins walked with one out, and Abreu flied to left.

Guerrero dropped a bloop double to shallow right, scoring Izturis to make it 8-7. Hunter was walked intentionally to load the bases, and Juan Rivera walked on four pitches to force in the tying run. Morales then stroked an opposite-field single to left to score the game-winner.

“It’s a crazy game; you never know what’s going to happen,” Hunter said. “When we saw Texas lost, we knew we had to battle back. We don’t want to get buried.”

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mike.digiovanna@latimes.com