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Weaver's gem, Angels bats rout M's

May 8, 2010 - 6:28 AM By GREGG BELL AP Sports Writer

SEATTLE(AP) -- Jered Weaver kept the Seattle Mariners silent - just like everyone else has lately.

He and his Angels teammates playfully gave the silent treatment in the dugout to Ryan Budde, too, as Los Angeles finally got to laugh again.

Weaver kept Seattle hitless into the seventh inning, and Budde's first career home run was part of the Angels' early attack against Felix Hernandez in an 8-0 victory on Friday night that ended a seven-game losing streak.

"We're not looking back," manager Mike Scioscia said resolutely of his defending AL West champions.

Using fastballs early and changeups later, Weaver (4-1) held the first 22 Mariners hitless. He was teaming with catcher Budde for the first time in a regular-season game.

"He made me look a little foolish," Mariners callup Michael Saunders said of an early strikeout, one of seven by Weaver.

With two outs in the seventh, 40-year-old Ken Griffey Jr. sent an 0-1 fastball bouncing through the infield past first baseman Kendry Morales. Weaver allowed one other hit in his 7 1-3 innings.

"Our guys got after a great pitcher. That took a lot of pressure off me," Weaver said of the Angels' four-run first, highlighted by Morales' three-run double off Hernandez. "Tonight we showed how our game is supposed to be played."

Juan Rivera and Howie Kendrick also homered off Hernandez (2-3) in a four-run fourth for the Angels, who arrived in town at 4 a.m. from a night game in Boston but still ended their longest skid since 2001.

They looked far more spry than Seattle. The Mariners were booed off the field after their seventh consecutive loss - all at home.

Seattle is four games short of its team record for consecutive home losses from 1989, done over two homestands.

The Mariners have scored nine runs in the seven games of their ugly homestand.

"The ballgame was over pretty quick ... especially the way the offense is going," Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said.

Friday was the first time in Mariners history the team played a game in which each side had a losing streak of at least six games. It was only the sixth time in the major leagues since 1977 that two teams with losing streaks of at least six games met.

Weaver, who walked three while throwing 118 pitches, allowed only six balls to reach the outfield. The last was a double by Saunders that chased Weaver with one out in the eighth.

Rivera hit a two-run homer, Kendrick followed two pitches later with a solo shot before Budde added his solo drive from the No. 9 spot - all in the fourth inning. Budde's homer, in his 27th game since 2007, made it 8-0.

In the dugout, the 30-year-old's teammates ignored him.

"Oh, yeah," he said, the home run ball secure in his locker thanks to a fan who gave it up in exchange for four other balls. "That was pretty funny."

Not for Hernandez. The 24-year-old kicked at the dirt at the mound and chomped his gum in disbelief at having allowed three home runs in an inning for the first time in his career.

He lasted just 3 1-3 innings - his shortest outing (except for an injury removal) since Sept. 16, 2005. He allowed five hits and four walks, with three strikeouts.

Wakamatsu said uncharacteristically bad pitching mechanics were to blame. But Hernandez said, "I don't think it's mechanics. ... It's just I gave up a lot of home runs. That's all."

Hernandez has surrendered 13 runs and 13 hits in 7 2-3 combined innings of his last two starts. Last weekend against Texas, his lower back became tight, and he was leaning back on the mound early in the game. But he and Wakamatsu insisted afterward his back was fine.

His ERA is not. It has gone from 2.15 to 4.30 in two weeks.

NOTES: Angels OF Michael Ryan, called up earlier in the day from Triple-A Salt Lake, grounded out while pinch-hitting for Hunter in the ninth. It was the 32-year-old's first major league game since Sept. 27, 2005, for Minnesota. ... Results were pending on an MRI on Angels IF Macier Izturis' achy shoulder.