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Colon impressive in first start in eight months

Apr 22, 2007 - 6:19 AM ANAHEIM, California (Ticker) -- Bartolo Colon made his long awaited return to the Los Angeles Angels' rotation and helped them continue their dominance of the Seattle Mariners.

Colon, who made just 10 starts last season due to a partial tear in his rotator cuff, allowed just one run in seven solid innings to help the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim post a 7-6 victory over the Seattle Mariners in the middle game of a three-game series.

The 2005 Cy Young Award winner returned after an 8 1/2-month layoff and showed no ill effects. Colon allowed seven hits and one run in seven innings with one strikeout, helping the Angels to a ninth win in their last 11 against Seattle.

"To get him back this early was the best of the best scenario," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "It's great to have a Cy Young winner back in our rotation again." Colon (1-0) allowed a leadoff double to Ichiro Suzuki, but settled down to retire 18 of the next 22 batters before allowing three hits and an RBI groundout to Suzuki in the seventh, and threw 55 of 77 pitches for strikes.

"I feel really good after working extra hard to get back pitching this early in the season," Colon said through an interpreter.

"I'm very pleased with my low pitch count and being effective with all my pitches." Vladimir Guerrero provided Colon with some early run support with a two-run homer in the first, his fifth of the season.

The Angels scored three runs in the first and four in the fifth. Robb Quinlan had a two-run single in the fifth and Garret Anderson and Erick Ayabar each had an RBI in the frame to give Los Angeles a 7-0 lead.

"It was good to get some early run support for Bart so he could settle down and pitch his game," Scioscia said.

Darren Oliver relieved Colon in the eighth and allowed singles to Jose Vidro, and Raul Ibanez. He struck out Richie Sexson, and then allowed an RBI single to Jose Guillen before being relieved by Scot Shields.

With the score 7-2, Ben Broussard tried to spoil Colon's solid start by hitting the first pinch-hit grand slam in the Mariners' 31-year history with one out off Shields. It was Broussard's fifth career grand slam, but it was not enough. Shields got out of the inning by getting Jose Lopez and Suzuki to ground out.

The free-swinging right fielder has homered in consecutive games after missing the previous three with a sore left wrist. Guerrero sustained the injury when he was hit by a fastball from Josh Beckett on Monday.

Seattle starter Horacio Ramirez (1-1) struggled in his second start of the year and took the loss. Ramirez threw 33 of his 81 pitches in the first inning and fell behind 3-0 before getting the first out. He was knocked out of the game after Anderson's RBI double. The lefthander walked six in four plus innings while surrendering three runs and seven hits.

Suzuki had two hit and an RBI for the Mariners, who have lost a season-high five straight.

Francisco Rodriguez then came in and pitched a scoreless ninth for his sixth save of the season for the Angels, who have won two in a row after losing six straight.