Mariners Hit Nerve With Angels

For those keeping score Sunday, the Seattle Mariners took the Angels down, 8-5. For those keeping tabs, like the 37,465 at Edison Field, the Angels may still owe the Mariners one.

The hits that counted the most on the scoreboard were by the Mariners’ Jay Buhner, Domingo Cedano and Butch Huskey. All homered to help the Mariners erase an early 2-0 deficit.

The hits that counted in the clubhouse also had the Mariners on top after a you-hit-that-and-I’ll-hit-you weekend.

The flash point was the Angels’ Troy Glaus, who continued his hot start, hitting his third home run off Brett Hinchliffe in the third inning. Hinchliffe’s next pitch hit Todd Greene in the elbow.

Greene charged the mound and both benches emptied. Greene, Hinchliffe and Angel pitcher Tim Belcher were ejected--although no one offered a reason why Belcher got run.

“We hadn’t even finished congratulating Troy,” said Angel starter Steve Sparks, who had hit Ken Griffey Jr. in the third inning. “We looked around and Todd was heading toward the mound.

“I don’t know why Tim got ejected. He lost his shoe and was looking around on the ground for it. Maybe the umpires thought he was starting something.”

Or maybe they had just had enough after three days of pitchers tossing balls at batters like they were milk bottles at a carnival.

Glaus was hit twice, once Friday and in the first inning Sunday. He was knocked down three other times. Angel outfielder Orlando Palmeiro was hit twice, once Friday and in the fifth Sunday.

Warnings were given to both dugouts Friday before the Angels could exact their pound of flesh.

There could be little doubt who they had in mind. With All-Star shortstop Alex Rodriquez out because of a knee injury, Griffey must have felt like he had a target on his back, being the most prominent Mariner.

With two out in the third, Sparks got a bulls eye, then claimed innocence.

“It was a cut fastball that got away from me,” Sparks said. “It was the same pitch that got him to fly out in the first.”

Accidental or not, Griffey decided to read between the seams and pointed to the Angel dugout on his way to first base.

It was a costly message for the Angels. Edgar Martinez followed with a double, scoring Griffey to break a 2-2 tie. Buhner then homered, making it 5-2. Sparks didn’t get out of the fifth after giving up two more runs, one on a double by Martinez and one on Huskey’s single.

The Angels may have thought all was square, but Hinchliffe thought otherwise.

“Junior was hit for what happened the other night, we understand that,” Seattle Manager Lou Piniella said. “It’s good to see Brett protect our hitters.

“The hitters that were hit, they were hit in the middle area. There was no head hunting. We don’t advocate any of that for sure.”

A minor point to Greene.

“It is not like Troy pimped his home run,” said Greene, who had a bandage on his elbow afterward, but said he would be able to play Tuesday in Toronto.

Said Griffey: “It’s over, let it go.”

Hinchliffe was making his first major league start after three relief appearances. He gave up three runs in three innings, but the home runs by Glaus and Matt Walbeck won’t jump to mind first.

“Some one was biting my foot on the bottom of that pile,” Hinchliffe said. “I said, ‘Get off me, this isn’t wrestling.’ ”

This may have been smoldering for a while.

The Mariners may have still been fuming from a spring training incident, where Palmeiro stole a base in the ninth with the Angels leading, 9-3. Seattle’s Jose Paniagua buzzed Phil Nevin under the chin and the two nearly brawled after the game.

Then came Friday and then Sunday.

“It’s over,” Griffey said. “Let it go.”

Will the Angels?

“It’s over in my mind, but no one in this clubhouse is going to back away from anything,” Greene said. “That’s just the way they were playing.

“When their pitchers got hit, they hit you with the baseball. I’m not going to take it.”