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Angels pound Bedard-less Mariners

Apr 14, 2008 - 1:37 AM SEATTLE (Ticker) -- With no Erik Bedard around to stop them, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim got their bats to wake up.

The Angels pounded out 16 hits and cruised to a 10-5 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Sunday to avoid a series sweep.

Jeff Mathis homered and Vladimir Guerrero and Gary Matthews Jr. each drove in a pair of runs for Anaheim, which reached double digits in runs for the first time this season.

"They had my back today," Angels starter Joe Saunders said of his offense. "They were swinging the bats great. From the middle innings on, we kind of figured their pitcher out. We had a lot of base hits tonight, swung the bats great. We needed to win this game. It's a big win for us. To get a win and not get swept is big."

Saunders (2-0) lasted 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs and six hits. The lefthander walked three and struck out one.

"I had some command issues, fell behind a lot of guys, but made some pitches when I needed to and got through five (innings)," Saunders said.

The Mariners made a pair of key moves this offseason designed to help them leap over the Angels in the American League West, and Bedard - Sunday's scheduled starter - was the biggest name they brought to town.

But an ailing hip kept Bedard out of the game, leaving Seattle with Cha Seung Baek to keep the rivalry rolling in the club's favor.

"We're going to play it on the safe side and see how he feels tomorrow," Mariners manager John McLaren said of Bedard. "If he feels OK, he'll throw a (bullpen session) and we'll slot him in (the rotation) next week sometime. It's just one of those things where we try to be patient with our pitchers this early in the season."

Beck lasted just 4 1/3 frames, allowing four runs and seven hits, and Eric O'Flaherty yielded six runs in 2 2/3 frames of relief for the Mariners.

"Bad pitches are getting hit and when I make a good one, it's either finding a hole or falling in," O'Flaherty said. "I'm not catching too many breaks."

Anaheim got to Baek in the third inning when Guerrero doubled home a pair of runs for an early 2-0 advantage. Howie Kendrick and Casey Kotchman pushed it to 4-0 with back-to-back RBI hits in the fourth to chase the Korean righthander.

"We came out and swung the bats and we hit with runners in scoring position," Kendrick said. "Saunders did a good job today of getting outs. He had a couple rough patches, but we pitched out of them and we kept adding on the runs throughout the game."

The Angels put the game away with three runs in each the sixth and seventh innings - capped by Mathis' blast.

Anaheim got some bad news and some good news in the late innings, as Kendrick was forced to leave the game in the seventh with an apparent left hamstring strain. However, closer Francisco Rodriguez made his return after a week on the shelf with a sprained ankle, allowing one run in the ninth inning.

"I just tweaked my hamstring a little bit," Kendrick said. "I don't know how serious it is just yet. I tried to stop as soon as I felt it and we'll see tomorrow."

Raul Ibanez drove in a pair of runs for the Mariners Sunday and finished the three-game series with eight RBI.