Napoli helps Angels complete sweep of Mariners

Baseball Betting Lines

06/06/2010 - Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Napoli's two-run homer in the seventh broke a tie, and the Los Angeles Angels swept the Seattle Mariners in three games with a 9-4 win at Safeco Field.

Napoli matched career-highs with four hits and three runs scored for the Angels, who pounded out a season-high 18 hits in their fifth straight win to move three games above .500 (31-28) -- the team's best record in 2010. Hideki Matsui also homered, while Erick Aybar and Robb Quinlan finished with four and three hits, respectively, in the victory.

Joel Pineiro (4-6), who played in Seattle from the start of his career in 2000 through 2006, made his first start against his original club, allowing four runs on nine hits in six innings. He struck out five and walked three.

Ichiro Suzuki went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored for the Mariners, who have lost seven of their nine games against the Angels this season. Jose Lopez, Milton Bradley and Josh Wilson each drove in a run in the setback.

Jason Vargas pitched six solid innings in the start, yielding four runs (three earned) and 10 hits in six frames while striking out four. Shawn Kelley (3-1) was saddled with the loss for giving up Napoli's home run.

With Kelley on the mound for the Mariners to begin the seventh, the Angels broke a 4-4 tie.

Matsui lofted a one-out single over the shortstop's head, and Napoli followed by hitting his ninth home run of the season into the first couple rows of the right field seats.

Kelley allowed runners to reach second and third with two outs before being lifted for Garrett Olson, who walked Aybar to load the bases. Howie Kendrick had a chance to extend the lead, but Franklin Gutierrez made a spectacular diving grab in centerfield to keep it a two-run game.

After Kevin Jepsen and Fernando Rodney pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth, respectively, Juan Rivera's RBI double, Aybar's RBI single and Kendrick's RBI triple in the ninth accounted for the final margin.

Torii Hunter gave the Angels the early lead with an RBI double in the first inning, but the Mariners responded with three runs in the home half.

Suzuki and Chone Figgins both reached base to start, and Lopez roped an RBI single with one down to tie the game. Figgins was thrown out on the play, but Bradley doubled in the next at-bat to chase home Lopez for a 2-1 lead.

Wilson followed with a triple to plate Bradley for a two-run advantage.

Los Angeles crept closer with a run in the fourth, as Napoli singled leading off and scored on Quinlan's two-out double. Matsui tied the score, 3-3, with a two-out solo blast into the right field seats in the fifth.

The Angels moved back ahead after an error in the sixth. The first two batters were retired, but Quinlan and Aybar kept the frame alive with back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners. Kendrick sent a ground ball to the third baseman Lopez, whose throw was too high to keep Casey Kotchman's foot on the base. Quinlan scored the go-ahead run on the play.

Seattle, though, responded in the bottom of the sixth. Saunders drew a two-out walk, and Suzuki launched a double into the left-center field gap. Saunders was able to race around to tie the game, 4-4.

Game Notes

Hunter has recorded an RBI in five straight games, driving in 10 during that timeframe...Pineiro had previously made two relief appearances against Seattle...The Mariners placed starter Doug Fister on the disabled list with shoulder fatigue. The move was retroactive to June 1, and Seattle recalled Luke French from Triple-A to take his roster spot...The Angels are 7-0 when Ron Roenicke manages the team. Roenicke was filling in for Mike Scioscia, who was attending his daughter's high school graduation...Figgins and Seattle manager Don Wakamatsu were ejected from the game in the second inning...Aybar tied a career-high in hits in a single game.