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Guerrero, Angels inch closer to home-field advantage

Sep 26, 2008 - 6:40 AM By Paul Lowenberg PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

SEATTLE (Ticker) -- Vladimir Guerrero hit a pair of home runs, including a two-run, tie-breaking shot in the ninth inning that gave the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim a 6-4 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday.

The Angels (99-60) tied the franchise record for most victories in a season originally set in 2002. The loss was the 14th in the last 15 games for the struggling Mariners.

Since June 1, Guerrero has batted .338 with 20 home runs and 62 RBI and the slugger is hitting .422 in the 17 games he has played in September.

"It took him a little bit in the early season to get going," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said of Guerrero, who was hitting .246 with seven homers and 28 RBI on May 31. "He banged his knee up a little bit, but as he got healthy you could see it happening in the batters box for him.

"He's attacking the ball in the batter's box as well as he ever has and you can see what he is capable of."

Guerrero's game-winning blast off J.J. Putz (6-5) followed a single by Mark Teixeira and gave the playoff-bound Angels their 14th win in 18 contests.

"It didn't even sound good," Putz said of the homer. "A lot of the guys on the bench said they thought he broke his bat. But there's nothing I can say about it."

It was the 36th multi-homer game of the Guerrero's career and third this year.

"That pitch that J.J. threw was actually a pretty good pitch," Mariners manager Jim Riggleman said. "You can't fault the pitch. He's just a great hitter."

Jose Arrendondo (10-2) went 1 2/3 innings for the victory and Scot Shields worked the ninth for his fourth save.

The win also gave Anaheim a three-game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays (96-63) in the race for the best record in the American League.

Seattle trailed, 4-2, in the seventh when Yuniesky Betancourt tied the game with a two-run homer to left-center field.

Ichiro Suzuki had two hits to give him 1,801 in the major leagues. He has reached the 1,800-hit mark faster than any player starting their career in 1954 or later.

The Angels scored twice in the sixth to grab a 3-2 lead as Guerrero belted his 26th homer, a towering solo shot off Randy Messenger that barely cleared the right field fence to forge a 2-2 tie.

Torii Hunter singled, stole second, took third on a flyout and scored when Gary Matthews Jr. hit a sharp grounder to second baseman Luis Valbuena, whose throw home was too late.

Hunter singled in a run in the seventh to extend the lead to 4-2.

"We need to carry momentum forward," Scioscia said. "Our first goal was to make the playoffs and now we have another goal in front of us. These guys have caught their second wind and they have been playing well the second half, and we'll be ready to go."

Angels starter Dustin Moseley worked five innings, giving up just two runs and six hits.

Seattle's Cesar Jimenez tossed 3 2/3 frames in just his second major league start, surrendering one run and two hits. The lefthander also issued three walks - all in the second inning, when the Angels scored a run without the benefit of a hit.