-- Combining power and timely hitting with quality pitching and defense, the Angels finished a three-game sweep of the Mariners on Wednesday with a 8-2 decision, pushing Seattle five games off their American League West pace.
Jered Weaver (10-6) outdueled Felix Hernandez (10-7) after the Angels jumped on the young Mariners ace for two first-inning runs on four hits. Garret Anderson's first of three hits drove in Gary Matthews Jr., who singled leading off, and Kendry Morales singled home Orlando Cabrera, who'd also singled.
The Mariners sliced the deficit in half with an unearned run in the second, but Jeff Mathis' second homer gave a two-run lead back to Weaver. Again the Mariners scored in the fourth, but Vladimir Guerrero responded with a solo shot in the fifth, No. 22 of the season for the Home Run Derby king.
A sensational play by Cabrera at shortstop, robbing Ichiro Suzuki, finished the fifth, and Anderson shot down a runner at third to help Weaver out of the seventh inning. The Angels chased Hernandez in the eighth. Anderson's third hit got it started, and Maicer Izturis drove him home after a wild pitch. Morales' third hit led to another run on Casey Kotchman's fielder's choice grounder.
The Mariners, 4-11 against the Angels this season, have one more chance to make up ground head-to-head against the Angels when they visit Angel Stadium from Sept. 20-23 for a four-game series. The Angels return home for a 10-game homestand opening on Friday night with Texas, followed by Oakland and Cleveland.
Lyle Spencer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball
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