Angels roll over against Seattle

SEATTLE -- A triple-double is a great achievement in the NBA, but Gary Matthews Jr. was not dishing to Kobe Bryant, shooting over LeBron James or boxing out Shaquille O’Neal on Saturday night.

He was batting second for the Angels and wound up with a share of a franchise record he wanted no part of, becoming the second player in team history to hit into three double plays in one game, an 8-3 loss to the Seattle Mariners in Safeco Field.

“It definitely was not a fun night,” said Matthews, whose sixth-inning error in center field allowed Seattle to score an unearned run. “Usually, you hit the ball hard four times with guys on, you come up with a few runs. We lost . . . then you hit into three double plays and make an error. That’s pretty much the cherry on top.”

The only other Angel to hit into three double plays in one game was Chad Curtis, on Aug. 6, 1993, against the Chicago White Sox.

Matthews’ performance -- though he smoked a few grounders, he made eight outs in five at-bats -- was a microcosm of the offense in the Angels’ first two games against their American League West rivals.

The Angels made the least of 12 hits Saturday. While Casey Kotchman, Howie Kendrick and Erick Aybar combined to go nine for 12, the heart of the order -- Matthews, Vladimir Guerrero, Garret Anderson and Torii Hunter -- went hitless in 15 at-bats.

The Angels went four for 22 with runners in scoring position in the first two games, both losses.

“We need to be better than that, and we will,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “We hit some balls hard tonight and didn’t have a lot to show for it. I think our approach is OK. Sometimes you get into a funk like that.”

Seattle right-hander Carlos Silva did what he usually does, pounding the strike zone and making the Angels put the ball in play.

He gave up 11 hits in eight innings and did not strike out a batter, but he walked one and gave up just three runs. Twice, he got Matthews to ground into a double play with runners on first and third, in the third and fifth innings.

With runners on second and third and one out in the sixth, Silva got Mike Napoli to pop to third and Aybar to ground out.

“It’s frustrating, but that’s what Silva does,” Scioscia said. “He lets you hit the ball. We weren’t able to get it into holes.”

The Mariners found holes, in pitcher Jon Garland’s arsenal and a few Angels gloves. Though three Seattle runs off Garland were unearned, the result of errors by Kendrick in the first and Matthews in the sixth, the Angels right-hander wasn’t just a victim of bad luck. Garland was pounded for 12 hits in five innings, and the game got away in the fifth, after the Angels scored in the top half of the inning for a 3-2 lead.

With two outs, Adrian Beltre doubled to left off Anderson’s glove, Jose Vidro singled to left for a run, and Richie Sexson drove a two-run home run to center for a 5-3 lead. Raul Ibanez’s two-run homer off reliever Jason Bulger in the eighth put the game away.

“I felt pretty good,” said Garland, acquired from the White Sox in November. “It might just have been pitch selection in certain situations.”

Could Garland be having trouble meshing with his new catchers?

“I put everything on me,” he said. “I’m not going to blame the catcher. I have the final say in what I’m doing.”

After giving up one run in eight innings of his Angels debut, a 9-1 win over Minnesota on April 1, Garland has yielded 13 runs -- 10 earned -- and 20 hits in 10 innings of his last two starts, losses to Texas and Seattle.

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mike.digiovanna@latimes.com