Angels Score Early, Not Late

You hate to declare that your team is out of a lengthy funk, because, as Angels veteran Tim Salmon knows, “You’re always one good pitcher away from a slump.”

Or, in the case of Saturday night, five good pitchers away.

The Angels scored a dozen runs in each of their two previous games, and they got off to a fast start Saturday, scoring four runs off Seattle starter Jarrod Washburn in the first three innings in Angel Stadium.

But Washburn and a quintet of Mariner relievers -- Rafael Soriano, Eddie Guardado, J.J. Putz, George Sherrill and former Angels left-hander Jake Woods -- held the Angels scoreless over the next 10 innings, and Richie Sexson hit a solo home run off Angel reliever Kevin Gregg in the 13th to lift the Mariners to a 5-4 victory.

Angel starter John Lackey and Washburn, good buddies from their days in Anaheim but opposing starters Saturday night, were planning to grab a few beers after the game, but the way this one was going, it appeared they might be lucky to make last call.

The Angel relief corps practically matched the Mariner effort, combining for 5 1/3 scoreless innings behind Lackey, one by Scot Shields, two by closer Francisco Rodriguez, one by Brendan Donnelly, and 1 1/3 by J.C. Romero, who had given up seven earned runs in 2 2/3 innings of his previous three appearances.

But Angels Manager Mike Scioscia pulled Romero with one out and the bases empty in the 13th, and Sexson greeted Gregg with a drive over the left-center field fence, just beyond the glove of Juan Rivera.

The Angels threatened in the bottom of the 13th when Vladimir Guerrero lined a two-out double off the center-field wall off Woods.

But Salmon, who keyed a three-run third inning with a two-out, two-run single, flied to right to end the 4-hour, 11-minute game and stop the Angels’ two-game win streak.

Neither Lackey nor Washburn figured in the decision, and neither pitched all that well. Washburn, the Mariner left-hander, gave up four runs and nine hits in 5 2/3 innings, with one walk and no strikeouts.

Lackey was a little better, giving up four runs and seven hits in seven innings, striking out seven and walking none, but the right-hander gave up home runs to No. 8 hitter Jeremy Reed and No. 9 hitter Yuniesky Betancourt, who combined for all of one homer in the Mariners’ first 37 games.

After watching Guerrero from the Angel dugout for two years, Washburn should have known better than to groove a first-pitch fastball to the Angels slugger. But Washburn did in the second inning, and he paid the price -- Guerrero belted it off the back wall of the second bullpen in left for his ninth homer and a 1-0 lead.

Betancourt’s solo homer in the top of the third pulled Seattle even, 1-1, but the Angels rallied with two out in the bottom of the third when Orlando Cabrera and Garret Anderson singled and Guerrero drew an eight-pitch walk to load the bases.

Salmon lined a 1-and-2 pitch into center field for a two-run single, giving him career RBIs No. 1,000 and No. 1,001, and Rivera’s single gave the Angels a 4-1 lead.

But Lackey and the Angels couldn’t hold it. Sexson and Carl Everett singled with one out in the fourth, and a pair of wild pitches--both swinging strikes in the dirt that catcher Jose Molina couldn’t block--sent Sexson to third and then home, and Everett to second and third.

Adrian Beltre followed with a grounder to the third-base hole that Chone Figgins couldn’t handle, and Everett scored on the error to make it 4-3. Reed’s solo homer to right to lead off the top of the fifth made it 4-4.