SEATTLE — Jered Weaver kept the Seattle Mariners hitless into the eighth inning and the Los Angeles Angels swarmed Felix Hernandez early in an 8-0 victory on Friday night to end a seven-game losing streak.
Weaver (4-1) held the first 22 Mariners hitless until 40-year-old Ken Griffey Jr. sent an 0-1 fastball bouncing through the infield past first baseman Kendry Morales for a single with two outs in the sixth. Weaver allowed one other hit in his 7 1-3 innings.
Morales had a three-run double in the first. Juan Rivera, Howie Kendrick and Ryan Budde homered off Hernandez in a four-run fourth for the Angels.
The Angels arrived in town at 4 a.m. from a night game in Boston, but still ended their longest skid since 2001.
They looked far more spry than Seattle. The Mariners were booed off the field after their seventh consecutive loss — all at home.
Seattle is four games short of its team record for consecutive home losses from 1989, done over two homestands.
Friday was the first time in Mariners history the team played a game in which each side had a losing streak of at least six games. It was only the sixth time in the major leagues since 1977 that two teams with losing streaks of at least six games met.
Weaver did what every other pitcher is doing these days to the Mariners — overwhelming them with all of his pitches. Only six balls even reached the outfield. The last was a double by Michael Saunders that chased Weaver with one out in the eighth. When manager Mike Scioscia came out to relieve him, he said simply “great game.”
Weaver struck out seven and walked three in 118 pitches.
The Mariners have scored nine runs in the seven games of their ugly homestand.
Rivera hit a two-run homer, Howie Kendrick followed two pitches later with a solo shot and No. 9 hitter Ryan Budde added a solo drive — all in the fourth inning. Budde’s first career home run, in his 27th game since 2007, made it 8-0.
The 24-year-old Hernandez (2-3) kicked at the dirt at the mound and chomped his gum in disbelief at having allowed three home runs in an inning for the first time in his career.
A few minutes later, he was on the bench with his arms folded across his chest. He lasted just 3 1-3 innings — his shortest outing (except for an injury removal) since Sept. 16, 2005. He allowed five hits and four walks, with three strikeouts.
Hernandez has surrendered 13 runs and 13 hits in 7 2-3 combined innings of his last two starts. Last weekend against Texas, his lower back became tight, but he and the team insisted he was well heading into this start.
His ERA is not. It has gone from 2.15 to 4.30 in two weeks.
The Mariners’ latest debacle came following another pregame meeting. Manager Don Wakamatsu told his players to be more accountable to themselves and Seattle’s fans through more fundamental play.
Yet this one was essentially over after 27 pitches. That’s how many Hernandez threw before getting an out.
Hernandez got to 0-2 on Morales with the bases loaded in the first. King Felix then became royally perturbed by a couple of close pitches plate umpire Lance Barksdale called balls.
Then on a full count, Morales sent a fastball off the left-center field wall one bounce. Morales scored Los Angeles’ fourth run of the inning on Rivera’s sacrifice fly, which was a gift from the Mariners. Ichiro Suzuki sent a nearly perfect throw home on one bounce from right field, but catcher Rob Johnson juggled the ball in his chest and then fell back as Morales slid past.
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