• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Angels-Mariners Preview

Jun 6, 2010 - 1:21 AM By MATT BEARDMORE STATS Writer

Los Angeles (29-28) at Seattle (22-32), 4:10 p.m. EDT

The Los Angeles Angels easily could have folded when their top run producer went down. Instead, they keep driving in runs.

Closing out the second series of a 14-game trip, the Angels will try to match a season high with their fifth straight victory Sunday when they face the struggling Seattle Mariners.

The excitement of Kendry Morales' walk-off grand slam in last Saturday's 5-1, 10-inning victory over Seattle was short-lived because the Angels first baseman broke his leg when he jumped on home plate.

Despite losing the team leader with 11 homers and 39 RBIs, the Angels (30-28) have won six of seven, batting .296 and averaging 7.0 runs.

"Since Kendry went out, everyone's been stepping it up to another level," Torii Hunter said after going 3 for 4 with three RBIs in Saturday's 11-2 victory.

Hunter and Howie Kendrick have four homers and 21 RBIs between them since Morales got hurt.

Joel Pineiro (3-6, 5.16 ERA) would welcome that kind of run support. The veteran right-hander is 0-2 with a 9.53 ERA in his last three starts after giving up no runs in his previous two outings. In Tuesday's 6-3 loss at Kansas City, Pineiro surrendered 10 hits and six runs, with four crossing in the fifth inning.

"That's a little bit of what's been happening to me lately," said Pineiro, who's 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in two relief appearances against Seattle. "... I've got to go out and find a way to minimize the multi-run innings."

Seattle (22-33) hasn't had many of those this season. The Mariners are among the worst in the AL in most offensive categories, including homers (32), batting average (.244) and runs per game (3.6). They have scored two or fewer runs 23 times this season.

Seattle will try to salvage the series finale with Jason Vargas (4-2, 2.92) on the mound. After competing for a roster spot during spring training, Vargas now owns one of the best ERA's in the AL and leads Mariners starters in victories. Opponents are batting .209 against him.

"Vargas, unbelievable for me," manager Don Wakamatsu told the team's official website after the left-hander threw seven innings of six-hit ball in Tuesday's 7-1 win over Minnesota.

Vargas, who has yielded two runs or fewer in seven of his 10 starts, threw 7 1/3 strong innings in an 8-1 victory against Los Angeles on May 9 that helped Seattle snap a season-high eight-game slide. The Angels had won the previous five matchups between these AL West foes.

Vargas is 2-0 with a 1.32 ERA in two starts against Los Angeles.

Ichiro Suzuki, who scored his 1,000th career run and posted his major league-leading 28th multihit game Saturday, is batting .457 during a nine-game hitting streak. In eight games against the Angels this season, he is hitting .484.

Los Angeles has won nine of 11 in this matchup dating to last season.