SEATTLE — Torii Hunter hit a two-run single in a big first inning before Jered Weaver and three relievers preserved the Los Angeles Angels’ 5-4 victory over the sunken Seattle Mariners on Wednesday.
Weaver (5-6) allowed 10 hits for the fifth time in 13 starts this season — but won for the third time in four starts. He allowed four runs, struck out three and walked one.
Darren Oliver and Justin Speier each pitched a scoreless inning before Francisco Rodriguez finished the ninth inning for his 24th save in 25 chances — and third in three days — as Los Angeles moved to a season-best 13 games over .500.
Carlos Silva (3-6), whom the Mariners signed to a $48 million, four-year contract before the season, was down 3-0 in the first following an RBI double by Howie Kendrick and Hunter’s two-run single.
Jose Lopez had three hits and three RBI but could not keep Silva from his career-high sixth consecutive loss. Seattle lost for the fifth time in six games and is a season-low 18 games under .500 at 21-39 with the worst record in the major leagues.
Seattle had rallied from 5-1 down and was within 5-4 with two outs in the sixth when Ichiro Suzuki singled to left field during a hit-and-run with Yuniesky Betancourt. Betancourt stopped briefly at second and then kept running as third-base coach Sam Perlozzo waved him home. Garret Anderson, 35, threw almost underhanded to shortstop Maicer Izturis, and Izturis’ relay throw to catcher Mike Napoli had Betancourt out by 10 feet to end the inning.
The home crowd, showing no sign of becoming numb from so many poor plays by the Mariners this season, booed yet again as Perlozzo and Betancourt shuffled off the field.
For the second consecutive game, the Angels had five runs off a Seattle starter by the fourth inning. Los Angeles hadn’t scored as many as five runs in 13 games before that.
In the bottom of the first, Lopez homered to make it 3-1. Seattle made it 3-2 in the second on singles by Jeremy Reed and Kenji Johjima and an RBI groundout by Betancourt.
In the fourth, Silva walked Hunter leading off. After Gary Matthews Jr. singled him to third with one out, Napoli scored Hunter with a sacrifice fly. That play would have been an inning-ending double play if catcher Johjima hadn’t backed up and then dropped Suzuki’s strong one-hop throw while Hunter was bearing down on the plate.
Brandon Wood, the No. 9 hitter, then went with a high, outside fastball with two strikes for a single that scored Matthews to make it 5-2.
Lopez responded again with a two-run double with two outs in the bottom of the fourth to cut the Angels’ lead to 5-4.
Silva allowed eight hits and five runs in eight innings, with two strikeouts and two walks. He hasn’t won since April 17.
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