Mariners Slam Door on Angels

If, as several Angel players say, the road to the American League West championship goes through Seattle, the Angels may need a vehicle with a little more horsepower, having lost, 5-3, Tuesday night.

The vehicle they drove to the Kingdome this week had a few knocks but way too many pings, and by the time the Mariners completed a two-game sweep, the Angels came sputtering home in last place after a 2-6 trip.

“Give them two stars early in the year, they’re hot right now,” Angel utility player Rex Hudler said. “They’re the team to beat, no question. They have a powerful lineup, but they know we can play too.”

Angel center fielder Jim Edmonds didn’t put too much stock in the sweep. “This series indicated we’re playing horrible baseball right now, that’s all,” he said. “You can’t tell anything from it. We have 140-something games left. . . . I think we measure up fine.”

Not this week in the Kingdome, where everything the Angels did, the Mariners did better. Angel starter Jim Abbott pitched his best game of the season Tuesday night, but Seattle ace Randy Johnson was better, limiting the Angels to one run on four hits and striking out nine before 25,404.

Angel third baseman George Arias made two diving stops, but Mariner center fielder Ken Griffey made a spectacular defensive play, robbing Arias of a three-run homer in the fourth inning.

Hudler hit a home run off Johnson in the top of the seventh, tying the game, 1-1, but Seattle catcher Dan Wilson responded with a grand slam in the bottom of the seventh, giving the Mariners a 5-1 cushion.

The Angels were even out-comebacked. They rallied in the ninth Tuesday night on J.T. Snow’s single and Mike Aldrete’s home run--his second in two nights--and Gary DiSarcina’s single.

But reliever Mike Jackson struck out Randy Velarde to end the uprising, a night after Seattle staged the biggest comeback in its 20-year history, rallying from eight runs down to beat the Angels, 11-10, Monday night.

“We have way too many weapons, and once our regulars start to find their swings, we’ll be fine,” Hudler said. “It’s so early . . . fast starts are over-rated. We know that better than anyone.”

Hudler, who entered with a career .400 average off Johnson, had stunned--and silenced--the Kingdome crowd in the top of the seventh when he lined a home run into the left-field bleachers.

But the fan frenzy that accompanied the Mariners’ miracle run last season and returned in Seattle’s come-from-behind victory over the Angels on Monday reappeared in the bottom of the seventh, which began with Edgar Martinez’s walk and Jay Buhner’s bloop double down the right-field line.

Arias made a diving grab of Ricky Jordan’s shot to third and threw to first for an out, and he made another diving stop of Russ Davis’ shot, which caromed high enough for Davis to reach on an infield single, loading the bases.

Abbott, whose sharp-breaking slider had baffled the Mariners, got ahead of Wilson, 1-2. But his next slider remained flat and Wilson pounced on it, drilling it into the left-field bleachers for a grand slam, his fifth homer and 12th RBI in the last six games.

Griffey kept the Mariners in the game early with a spectacular catch. The Angels had runners on first and third when Arias drove a Johnson fastball to deep center field, where Griffey leaped and planted his right foot into the wall before making the catch.