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Hunter propels Angels past Mariners

Jun 5, 2008 - 1:10 AM By Paul Lowenberg PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

SEATTLE (Ticker) -- Torii Hunter drove in two runs and starter Jered Weaver held on for the victory as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim recorded their fifth straight win, a 5-4 triumph over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday.

While the Angels were happy to get out of town with their first series sweep of the season, frustrated Mariners manager John McLaren let everyone know he had finally seen enough losing by his team. The normally soft-spoken manager let loose with a profanity-laced tirade, then stormed out of the room without answering any questions.

McLaren's outburst came after the Mariners, picked by many in the preseason as a potential pennant contender, lost for the 29th time in 39 games to fall 18 games under .500 (21-39) and 15 1/2 games behind the American League West-leading Angels.

"We are playing our (rear ends) off every day and have nothing to show for it," McLaren said. "I am tired of getting my (expletive) beat and so are those guys. We've got to change this around and get after it. Only we can do it. The fans are (angry) and I'm (angry) and the players are (angry).

"There is no (blank) easy way out of this. We can't feel sorry for ourselves. We've got to (blank) buckle it up and get after it. I'm tired of losing every night when we bust our (blank). It's got to be a total team effort to turn this thing around and that's it."

McLaren did not offer any suggestions about how he might change the Mariners' losing ways.

The rant came after Weaver (5-6) pitched six innings, allowing four runs and 10 hits while walking one and striking out three. It was the fifth time this season Weaver had yielded 10 hits in a game.

"I don't know if you are going to go out every game with your best stuff, but 'Weav' has shown he can keep us in games without his best stuff," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.

Francisco Rodriguez worked a flawless ninth for his major league-leading 24th save.

Carlos Silva (3-6), who retired just two batters in his last start, allowed five runs and eight hits en route to his sixth consecutive loss. Howie Kendrick doubled home a run and Hunter plated two more with a single to give the Angels a 3-0 lead.

"Our pitching and defense has been coming through for us and our offense has come through when it counts," Hunter said. "During the game we struggle to get runs and we leave a lot of runners on base, but when it counts, we come through."

Silva settled down, allowing just two runs the rest of the way for Seattle, which lost its third in a row and finished its homestand with a 3-6 mark.

"I tried to do the best I can to start a new month," Silva said. "I tried to start over, but it didn't work. I didn't want to let anything bother me. I just wanted to stay in the game.

Jose Lopez got one run back in the first when he homered for the third consecutive game and fifth time this season to cut the lead to 3-1. It was the first home run Weaver allowed in his last five games.

Jeremy Reed scored on Yuniesky Betancourt's groundout to cut the lead to 3-2 in the second.

Mike Napoli had a sacrifice fly and Brandon Wood, who was 2-for-31, hit a run-scoring single as the Angels added a pair of runs in the fifth to extend their lead to 5-2.

The Mariners closed the deficit to one in the fourth after Lopez's two-run single. But their struggling offense could manage just four hits - all singles - the rest of the way.

Seattle nearly tied the game in the sixth after Betancourt hit a two-out single and Ichiro Suzuki lined a single to center. Betancourt, however, was cut down at the plate on a perfect relay from shortstop Maicer Izturis to Napoli.

The Mariners head back out on the road, where they were 0-6 on their last trip, for three games in Boston and three in Toronto.