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Franklin ends skid at 11

Anaheim's Darin Erstad picked up his first triple of the year when Seattle center fielder Jeremy Reed came up empty on this dive. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Associated Press
Anaheim's Darin Erstad picked up his first triple of the year when Seattle center fielder Jeremy Reed came up empty on this dive. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

SEATTLE — Ryan Franklin ended an 11-game losing streak, outpitching John Lackey to lead the Seattle Mariners to a 1-0 win over the Anaheim Angels on Wednesday night.

Franklin (4-15), who hadn’t won in 17 starts since June 5, tied a career best by allowing two hits. He walked two and struck out four while throwing his second career shutout and third complete game.

Franklin retired 18 consecutive batters before walking Vladimir Guerrero with two outs in the ninth.

The Angels remained two games behind Oakland in the A.L. West standings. The Athletics were beaten by visiting Texas 10-3 on Wednesday.

Lackey (12-12) pitched 7 2/3 innings, allowing one run on five hits and two walks. He struck out a career-high 10.

Seattle’s run came on Raul Ibanez’s RBI single off Francisco Rodriguez with two outs in the eighth.

Ichiro Suzuki started the rally with a single off Lackey’s right hip to move within 24 hits of tying the major league single-season record set by Hall of Famer George Sisler in 1920 for the St. Louis Browns. Ichiro went 1 for 4 and has 233 hits with 17 games remaining.

Suzuki was forced at second when second baseman Adam Kennedy made a splendid defensive play, diving behind second base to stop Randy Winn’s groundball from going into the outfield.

Edgar Martinez’s single to right sent Winn to third. Rodriguez then replaced Lackey and allowed Ibanez’s single on a 1-0 pitch.

In the third, Darin Erstad of the Angels hit his first triple of the season, but was stranded when Guerrero grounded out to end the inning.

Winn, who had a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the seventh in Seattle’s 3-2 victory over Anaheim on Tuesday night, singled in his first two at-bats.

M’s make moves

The Mariners recalled catcher Rene Rivera from Class A Inland Empire (Calif.) and designated right-hander Brett Evert for assignment.

Rivera, 21, was available against Anaheim on Wednesday night as the Mariners’ third catcher behind Miguel Olivo and Dan Wilson.

“We wanted to have a third catcher just in case we had a broken finger,” manager Bob Melvin said.