Wells homers twice in Angels’ win vs. M’s
Posted June 14, 2011 9:35 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SEATTLE — Vernon Wells hit the Angels’ first homer in a week with a solo shot in the third inning, then hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the seventh to give Los Angeles a 6-3 win over the Seattle Mariners on Monday night.
The slumping Angels, having dropped seven of eight, started their longest road trip of the season with a comeback victory capped by a power surge.
The Angels were homerless in their previous 62 innings before Wells’ blast with two outs in the third. In the seventh, after Jeff Mathis’ slide knocked the ball free from Seattle catcher Miguel Olivo to tie the game at 3, Wells drove a 2-1 pitch from Jason Vargas (4-4) out to deep left-centre.
It was Wells’ 22nd career multihomer game and first since last September against Texas.
The late offensive surge made a winner out of Angels’ starter Dan Haren, who struggled to make it through six innings.
Haren (6-4) allowed two earned runs in his previous 24 innings against the Mariners, only to give up his third on Monday night in the fifth inning when Brendan Ryan’s sacrifice fly scored Chone Figgins with the go-ahead run.
Haren allowed seven hits in his six innings, but didn’t walk a batter and struck out seven.
The Angels late rally started when Jeff Mathis doubled into the left field corner, barely beating the throw to second by Carlos Peguero. He moved to third on Maicer Izturis’ groundout to first, but looked like he was going to be cut down at the plate. Mathis broke for home on Torii Hunter’s grounder to Figgins at third base, who immediately threw to the plate. The throw easily beat Mathis, but his hard slide into Olivo knocked the ball free and tied the game at 3.
After Bobby Abreu’s fly out, Vargas made a mistake with a hanging curve ball for his 10th homer allowed this season, even though he should have been out of the inning.
Rich Thompson mowed through the Mariners in the seventh. Scott Downs got out of the eighth with a strikeout of Olivo despite Seattle putting two runners on. Jordan Walden then pitched the ninth for his 15th save in 18 chances.
Howie Kendrick had an RBI single in the first for the Angels and Abreu added an RBI single in the ninth.
Wells’ homer in the third inning was his first homer since May 7 against Cleveland and the fifth of the season for the slugger stuck in the worst start of his career. Wells entered Monday night hitting just .189.
Kendrick followed with a double but was stranded at second as Vargas settled into a groove. The lefty retired 10 of the next 12 batters — the only two reaching base on a walk to Abreu in the fifth and Adam Kennedy’s throwing error in the sixth — before Mathis’ double in the seventh.
Seattle got an RBI double from Kennedy in the first and an infield RBI single by Franklin Gutierrez in the second. But despite a high pitch count, Haren kept the Mariners in check to get his eighth career win against the Mariners.
.NOTES: Retired Mariners CF Ken Griffey Jr. was part of Monday’s television broadcast, his first visit back to Safeco Field since his abrupt retirement last June. … The Angels placed RHP Fernando Rodney on the 15-day disabled list Monday (back strain) and recalled RHP Bobby Cassevah from Triple-A Salt Lake. … Seattle moved RHP David Aardsma to the 60-day disabled list and activated LHP Mauricio Robles from the 60-day disabled list and optioned him to Single-A High Desert.
