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Angels' Lackey struggles but beats Mariners 10-6

May 19, 2009 - 6:20 AM By GREGG BELL AP Sports Writer

SEATTLE(AP) -- As if he hadn't heard enough ribbing about getting ejected in his season debut after just two pitches, John Lackey heard more. This time, in the visitor's bullpen before his second start in three days.

"Yeah, I heard plenty about that warming up. I'll throw a guy a ball if I hear a good one," Lackey said. "I've hooked up guys in New York who had good ones."

Lackey's real season debut for the Angels was about like the barbs of Seattle's fans: not great.

But Torii Hunter hit a three-run double in a five-run fifth inning and Kendry Morales homered twice, rallying Lackey and Los Angeles to a 10-6 victory over the Mariners on Monday night.

The Angels' ace returned from a strained forearm Saturday for his season debut only to get ejected at Texas for throwing behind and then hitting Ian Kinsler. This time, Lackey slogged through five innings and allowed five runs, four earned.

"For his first time out, his fastball looked good. Maybe his command wasn't crisp as it will be," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said, dismissing the Texas fiasco as a non-debut. "Hopefully, this is a good stepping stone for him.

"It's nice to have a lead dog (again)."

Now, Lackey will wait to see if the commissioner's office will bite back with a suspension, though he doesn't expect it to. He does expect a fine that usually comes with an ejection.

"I'd tell you if did something on purpose. I didn't," Lackey said.

"Yeah, it was definitely a different week. It will be nice to have a regular work week and pitch again in five days."

As his infinity ERA - from allowing one earned run without recording an out Saturday - plummeted to 9.00, his workload spiked sharply, by 80 pitches. Noticeably few of them were inside, let alone near any hitters.

There was not even a dirty look from Seattle's batters. They've had their own problems while losing 11 of 14.

"If you'd told me we would get 10 hits and six runs, we'd win this game," Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said of the rare offensive outburst that was wasted.

Searching for a spark, Seattle benched slumping cleanup hitter Adrian Beltre for the first time this season. His replacement, young Wladimir Balentien, hit a sacrifice fly in the first and later doubled.

Russell Branyan hit his 10th homer, second in two days, off Lackey to begin the fourth.

But Los Angeles banged around former teammate Jarrod Washburn, Brandon Morrow and Denny Stark to tie a season high for runs, giving Lackey (1-0) his first win since Sept. 21 and ending the Angels' three-game skid.

Juan Rivera began the game-breaking rally in the fifth by homering over his team's bullpen far beyond left field. Erick Aybar then chopped an RBI infield single to trim Seattle's lead to 4-3.

After Washburn (3-3) walked Bobby Abreu to load the bases, Hunter cleared them by hacking a high fastball to the opposite-field gap, away from lunging right fielder Ichiro Suzuki.

Morales hit his seventh homer in the sixth, a two-run shot to straightaway center off Morrow after Seattle closed to within a run. Morrow allowed four hits and two runs in two innings, his first appearance since being demoted from closer Friday.

Morales added a solo shot in the eighth off Stark for his first multihomer game.

Ken Griffey Jr. singled home Suzuki to make it 6-5 in the fifth. It was Griffey's eighth RBI in 27 games and only the 13th RBI by a Mariners No. 3 hitter in 39 games this season.

An angry Lackey stomped off the mound after the inning, mad Griffey had beaten an infield shift. He allowed seven hits and struck out three.

Washburn blew leads of 3-0 and 4-1. He allowed seven hits and six runs in five innings.

It was the second time this season Washburn gave up a season-high six runs to his former teammates, with whom he won a World Series title in 2002.

Note: Scioscia said the Angels might get slugger Vladimir Guerrero back May 25. The eight-time All-Star has been out since April 15 because of a torn pectoral muscle. Guerrero, who launched monster homers in batting practice Monday, is scheduled to begin a short, minor league rehabilitation assignment at Class-A Rancho Cucamonga on Thursday or Friday. ... Suzuki's two infield singles extended his hitting streak to 12 games.