August 13, 2008 in Sports

Dog Days continue to dog bumbling Mariners

Betancourt’s error aids Angels’ comeback

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Associated Press photo

Seattle’s Adrian Beltre, left, and Yuniesky Betancourt move toward Mark Teixeira’s grounder in the third.
(Full-size photo)

ANAHEIM, Calif. – A tough final seven weeks lie ahead for Jim Riggleman when it comes to getting his Seattle Mariners to play like it matters.

Riggleman and company had a rough weekend, beginning with a clubhouse outburst by frustrated pitcher Carlos Silva and culminating with the benching of second baseman Jose Lopez after an error. Lopez was back in the lineup for a 7-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night.

But many of the same issues that have plagued the Mariners all season were prevalent in a fourth straight Seattle defeat. Riggleman said the Mariners are no different from other teams when it comes to stumbling through the so-called Dog Days of August.

“I don’t care if it’s a first-place club or a last-place club,” he said. “There are going to be guys who do it. And the manager has to address it. But it’s no more done here than anywhere. I’m not saying that to say it’s OK. It’s wrong everywhere. But when you’re in first place and having a nice year, it tends to get swept under the rug.”

Not for the Mariners this year. And not on this night, when Mariners lefty Jarrod Washburn tossed seven strong innings, allowing only one earned run.

But it was the three unearned runs scored off him in the third inning – courtesy of the latest Yuniesky Betancourt mishap in the field – that decided this contest at Angel Stadium. Washburn had entered the inning with a 3-0 lead, courtesy of an RBI groundout by Raul Ibanez and run-scoring singles from Adrian Beltre and Lopez off Angels starter Jon Garland.

A solo home run by Juan Rivera cut the margin to 3-1.

But then, the inning’s fatal blow occurred when Betancourt made a half-hearted-looking backhand wave at a Jeff Mathis grounder to his right. Mathis reached base on the error and then, with Lopez covering second on an ensuing play, Chone Figgins singled through the hole in the right side of the infield.

All of a sudden, big problems loomed. A bunt moved both runners into scoring position and Mark Teixeira brought one home on a groundout.

But the biggest byproduct of the error was that Mariners-killer Vladimir Guerrero got to bat in the inning with a runner on. Two pitches later, Guerrero sent a Washburn offering over the wall in left field and the Angels had the lead for good.

Garret Anderson hit a two-run homer off Mark Lowe in the eighth and Rivera added an RBI double to close out the scoring.

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