This Time, It’s the Angels Who Overtake Mariners

George Arias provided the drama and Troy Percival added the suspense Saturday night, as the Angels came from behind--and then held on--to defeat the Seattle Mariners, 5-4, before a crowd of 31,759 in Anaheim Stadium.

Arias’ two-run single capped a three-run eighth inning, and Percival struck out Alex Rodriguez with two runners on in the ninth--and the dangerous Ken Griffey on deck--to give the Angels consecutive victories for the first time in a month.

Not since June 17-20, when the Angels won four in a row, had they managed to put a winning streak together, and the victory kept them 9 1/2 games behind the first-place Texas Rangers.

“That’s pretty amazing,” said first baseman J.T. Snow, who singled and scored in the fourth and had a key run-scoring double in the eighth. “When you play every day and grind it out, you don’t realize things like that. But there’s two months left, and anything can happen. We know that as well as anyone.”

The Mariners overcame a 13-game deficit in early August to beat the Angels for the American League West title in 1995, but it was the Angels who provided the comeback Saturday night.

They trailed, 4-2, when Chili Davis--who hit his 17th home run of the season in the fourth inning--opened the eighth with a single off reliever Bobby Ayala. Randy Velarde followed with a single to put runners on first and second.

Seattle Manager Lou Piniella summoned closer Norm Charlton, and Snow, after failing to bunt the runners up, doubled to right-center field, just beyond center fielder Griffey’s reach.

The Angels resembled the Keystone Kops on the basepaths--Davis had held near second to tag in case Griffey made the catch, while Velarde had almost reached second base.

Both runners broke into a sprint when the ball dropped, and Velarde could have practically picked Davis’ pocket as they approached third. Third-base coach Rick Burleson waved Davis home and a split-second later put the stop sign up for Velarde, and the Angels had men on second and third and no outs.

“With Chili clogging things up and no one out, I didn’t want to take a chance,” Velarde said. “I was yelling to Chili, ‘Let’s go! Let’s go!’ I could have popped him in the butt right there.”

Arias then lined Charlton’s first pitch to center for a two-run single and a 5-4 lead, which made Snow glad he decided to swing away with two strikes in the eighth.

“I was thinking about sacrificing with two strikes even though the bunt sign wasn’t on,” Snow said. “But I just stepped out of the box, regrouped, took a deep breath and went to Plan B, which was to scramble and do the best I could. I just hit it into a perfect spot in the gap.”

The hits by Snow and Arias gave Percival a chance for his 25th save, which seemed on shaky ground when Percival walked Brian Hunter on four pitches to open the ninth.

Percival then threw a ball on the first pitch to Darren Bragg, before striking him out with a nasty curve. Dan Wilson popped to second, and after Joey Cora’s single, Percival struck out Rodriguez, who entered with a .352 average, to end the game.

Dennis Springer, the knuckleballer inserted into the rotation because scheduled starter Ryan Hancock pitched 4 1/3 innings of relief Thursday night, gave up only five hits, including Griffey’s three-run homer in the third, and four runs in seven innings.

Chuck McElroy struck out Griffey with a runner on first in the eighth, and Jeff Schmidt got pinch-hitter Greg Pirkl to ground out with two runners on to end the eighth, and was credited with the victory.

“Take away one hit and I’m happy,” said Springer, whose seven-inning stint was the longest of his career. “It’s my job to keep us in the game--I did that, and we ended up winning.”

One loss may have turned into three for the Mariners because of a second-inning collision involving third baseman Edgar Martinez and catcher John Marzano on Pat Borders’ second-inning popup.

Marzano suffered a laceration above his left eye that required 30 stitches to close. Martinez, who is batting .344, suffered bruised ribs and a back injury and will be X-rayed today.