Mariners rally past Angels, avoid 100th loss — for now

By Larry Larue | The News Tribune • Published September 24, 2008

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The Seattle Mariners hadn't floundered through a 100-loss season since 1983, and two weeks ago it appeared they could play just well enough to avoid that number.

Then they lost 12 games in a row and appeared to be sprinting toward triple digits.

Of all the teams and all the circumstances to snap two weeks of losing against, the Mariners picked the first-place Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday — spotting them a four-run lead before coming back to win 9-6.

It wasn't all their fault.

"We've had our fair share of bad luck," said J.J. Putz, whose 14th save was the 100th of his career. "Tonight, that turned around a little bit."

Seattle fell behind an Angels team that for five innings used power, speed and pitching to quiet a Safeco Field crowd of 19,065.

Ryan Feierabend had been chased in the fourth inning, after long home runs by Gary Matthews and Mike Napoli.

The Mariners had just two runs against Jered Weaver, the result of a two-out single in the third by Yuniesky Betancourt.

The Angels don't lose when they're up by four runs.

The Mariners don't win when they're down by four.

"We've come back a few times in that situation, then given the lead up again," manager Jim Riggleman said. "The story tonight was Sean Green, Roy Corcoran and J.J. Putz. Our bullpen just shut them down and held the team with the best record in the American League."

Seattle came back to win with two dramatic rallies — one that had the Angels shaking their heads, and another that beat them and allowed the Mariners to win their 58th game of the season with five left to play.

One-out singles by Raul Ibanez and Jose Lopez in the sixth inning weren't much of a threat until Jeremy Reed grounded a one-hopper sharply back to the mound, and Weaver clanked it off his glove with such fervor that the ball wound up in short right field.

Ibanez scored, and it was 6-3.

"Last night, the day before, that ball is a double play for sure," Putz said.

"Usually you hit a ball hard it goes right in the pitcher's glove on a play like that," Reed said. "Maybe it fooled him. Maybe it wasn't hit as hard as he thought."