Lackey, Matthews power the Angels

SEATTLE -- The Angels stuck the Seattle Mariners with an unusually hefty power bill Tuesday, striking for as many home runs in one night as they had in their previous 22 games.

The four-homer barrage that keyed their 8-0 victory at Safeco Field included a pair from Gary Matthews Jr., who had not homered since June 17.

“I think the last one we were playing interleague against the Dodgers,” said Matthews, who also had two doubles and finished with a career-high four extra-base hits after Angels coaches told him to be more selective.

John Lackey hardly needed the onslaught, pitching a seven-hitter, striking out five and inducing three double plays to record his first shutout since a 4-0 victory over Tampa Bay on July 14, 2006, at Angel Stadium.

“I’m not real good at math, but I think you might win,” Lackey (13-6) said of getting a shutout and four home runs in the same game.

After Kelvim Escobar pitched eight strong innings in a loss Monday, the Angels have received back-to-back complete games for the first time since July 17-18, 1993, when Russ Springer and Mark Langston did it during consecutive losses against Cleveland.

The Angels extended their advantage back to four games over Seattle in the American League West while moving out of the cellar in the AL in home runs. They now have 72 home runs, one more than Kansas City.

Even the diminutive Maicer Izturis got into the act. The 5-foot-8, 165-pounder homered to deep right field in the second inning, three pitches after Matthews had hit a two-run shot to center off Mariners starter Jeff Weaver (2-10).

“He killed that ball,” Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said of Izturis, who finished a triple short of the cycle.

Orlando Cabrera hit a solo homer in the sixth inning off reliever Ryan Rowland-Smith and Matthews hit his second home run in the ninth off Mark Lowe to give the Angels their most home runs in a game since hitting four against Minnesota on June 4.

Matthews, hitting only .213 in July before Tuesday, said he spoke with Angels pitching coach Mike Butcher and bench coach Ron Roenicke to get a different perspective. The coaches told him “to be selective and a little more disciplined.”

“I have had some tough luck lately,” Matthews said. “Sometimes it happens. It’s part of the game. You deal with it and sooner or later it all balances out.”

Said Scioscia: “I think his timing is here. I think he was caught in the middle a little bit before, and he’s really putting some good swings on it now and it’s good to see.”

Lackey said it was easier to pitch after the Angels broke through for four runs in the second inning, which also included Cabrera’s broken-bat RBI groundout.

“The runs definitely helped me to throw strikes and challenge people,” Lackey said.

The Mariners pressured Lackey several times but could never break through. They loaded the bases with two out in the first inning on two singles and a walk before Richie Sexson flied out. They put two on with nobody out in the third before Jose Guillen flied out and Adrian Beltre grounded into an inning-ending double play.

A two-on, one-out threat in the eighth ended similarly, with Beltre bouncing into his second double play.

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ben.bolch@latimes.com