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Angels hand Haren ball in finale at Seattle

May 19, 2011 - 2:46 PM (Sports Network) - Both the Angels and starter Dan Haren will be looking to halt some unwanted streaks this afternoon, while the Seattle Mariners try for another rare victory over Los Angeles in the finale of a two-game series at Safeco Field.

The Angels come into this game riding a season-high tying four-game losing streak and have been shut out in back-to-back games for the second time this season. They have been held without a run six times this season and have lost six of seven overall to fall 1 1/2 games back of first place in the American League West.

Los Angeles followed up a 14-0 thrashing at the hands of Oakland on Tuesday with a closer 3-0 setback to Seattle last night. Angels starter Jered Weaver lost his fourth straight game after giving up three runs over six innings, getting outdueled by Seattle's Jason Vargas and his seven scoreless frames.

"I gave them an opportunity to get some runs, and they put some big hits together," said Weaver. "I had to battle again today. You got to score runs to win and (that) didn't happen today. Jason (Vargas) threw a hell of a game tonight."

A loss tonight would drop the Angels below .500 for the first time since they were 3-4 back on April 8 and Haren hopes to prevent that from happening.

However, the right-hander has gone five straight outings without a victory since winning four decisions in a row and is 0-2 over his winless stretch despite a 2.62 earned run average and 34 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings. He picked up his second straight no-decision in Texas on Saturday, allowing two runs over 7 2/3 innings in his longest start since his one-hit shutout on April 12.

Haren, 30, is 4-2 with a 1.93 ERA in 10 games (nine starts) this season and stands a good chance of turning things around versus Seattle, which he held without a run over 14 innings in two starts last year. Lifetime, Haren is 7-4 with a 2.55 ERA versus the club in 14 starts.

Haren should be glad he missed Vargas after the Mariners hurler scattered four hits and struck out nine to extend his scoreless-innings streak to 16 frames.

"I felt good, I got ahead early in the game, cutter was good again," said Vargas. "It just felt good, just trying to build, stay where I'm at, just not really change anything."

Jack Cust drove in two runs for Seattle, which has won two of three since a six-game slide and beat the Angels for just the fifth time in the past 23 meetings.

Looking to pitch the Mariners to a sweep of this brief set is Doug Fister, who is 2-4 with a 3.22 ERA in eight starts this season.

The 27-year-old right-hander is coming off a decent outing in Cleveland on Friday, though he picked up a no-decision. Fister threw a season-high eight innings, allowing two runs on four hits with six strikeouts. He did come into the game having allowed just one homer over his previous seven outings, but gave up a pair to the Indians.

In three career starts versus the Angels, Fister is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA.