The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper The Spokesman-Review
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
Current Temperature
43°F
Current Conditions
Overcast clouds
View complete weather report
Subscribe now

Angels put on hold

Ichiro Suzuki's 0 for 5 cost him a share of the A.L. batting lead. Associated Press (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Ken Peters Associated Press
Ichiro Suzuki's 0 for 5 cost him a share of the A.L. batting lead. Associated Press (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Sometime soon, Jarrod Washburn will be pulling for his former Angels teammates. He definitely wasn’t Friday night.

Washburn pitched seven shut-out innings and the Seattle Mariners beat Los Angeles 6-0 to deny the Angels the A.L. West crown for at least another day.

“I think they’re the best team in the league, but I definitely wanted to knock them off and save their celebration at least one more day,” Washburn said. “I didn’t approach it any differently than any other start.

“But I knew that if they won tonight, they’d get to celebrate – and I didn’t want that to happen. I’m going to be rooting for them and pulling for them.”

The 33-year-old Washburn spent his entire career in the Angels’ organization before they let him go after the 2005 season, and he signed as a free agent with Seattle. Once a mainstay of the Angels’ rotation, he had helped them earn postseason berths in 2002, 2004 and 2005, and got a ring when they won the World Series title in 2002.

Washburn (10-15) scattered five hits, walked one and struck out four in running his record against his former team to 4-2.

Brandon Marrow pitched two perfect innings of relief to complete the shutout.

Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia said Washburn didn’t give the Angels much chance.

“We didn’t get too many good looks; not too many balls were hit hard,” Scioscia said. “He turns that fastball into two or three different looks, he elevated in the zone and got a lot of fly balls and changed speeds – and pitched a good ballgame.”

Adrian Beltre had three hits and drove in two runs, Jose Vidro had a two-run single, and Jose Guillen hit a solo homer for the Mariners.

Seattle’s Ichiro Suzuki went 0 for 5 to end a 13-game hitting streak and fall out of a tie for the A.L. batting lead. Detroit’s Maglio Ordonez is hitting .354 to lead the majors; Suzuki is at .350.

Bench coach Mike Goff filled in for manager John McLaren, who was serving a one-game suspension, as the Mariners won for just the second time in eight games in Anaheim this season.