M’s swept away by Angels

SEATTLE – Mike Napoli had four hits, including a two-run homer that snapped a seventh-inning tie and lifted the Los Angeles Angels over the Seattle Mariners 9-4 on Sunday for their fifth straight victory.

Hideki Matsui also homered to back Angels starter Joel Pineiro (4-6), who recovered from a shaky start. Erick Aybar and Napoli both went 4 for 5.

After the Mariners rallied to tie it at 4 in the sixth, Napoli jumped on a high slider from Shawn Kelley (3-1), driving it over the right-field wall and the outstretched arm of Ichiro Suzuki to put Los Angeles up 6-4.

Napoli singled and scored in the ninth on Juan Rivera’s double. Napoli’s four hits matched a career high. Aybar added an RBI single and Howie Kendrick hit a run-scoring triple to break the game open.

Pineiro went six innings, allowing four runs and nine hits.

Aybar smacked the first pitch of the game from Mariners starter Jason Vargas down the left-field line for a double. Torii Hunter fought off a fastball on his hands and looped it just inside the right-field line for a two-out double that scored Aybar.

After a leadoff walk to Suzuki in the bottom half, Chone Figgins hit a chopper between the mound and third base. Pineiro fielded the ball but collided with a charging Kevin Frandsen, allowing Figgins to reach on an infield single.

Jose Lopez singled past a diving Aybar at shortstop to score Suzuki, but Figgins was thrown out by left fielder Rivera trying to advance to third. Milton Bradley followed with a double to deep left-center to score Lopez from first, and Josh Wilson followed with an RBI triple to give the Mariners a 3-1 lead.

Figgins disagreed with a strike called by plate umpire Tim Timmons in the second inning. He was ahead in the count 3-1 when Timmons called a strike on the outside corner. Figgins grounded out to second on the next pitch, turned around at first base and began to voice his displeasure with Timmons on the previous pitch.

Timmons then ejected Figgins from the game, prompting Seattle manager Don Wakamatsu to come out of the dugout. After a long conversation, first base umpire and crew chief Tim Tschida got involved. Wakamatsu became increasingly more animated and was tossed as well.

Angels 9, Mariners 4

E—Jo.Lopez (6), Tuiasosopo (5). LOB—Los Angeles 12, Seattle 11. 2B—E.Aybar (13), Tor.Hunter (19), J.Rivera (9), Quinlan 2 (2), I.Suzuki (11), F.Gutierrez (9), Bradley (6), Jo.Wilson (5). 3B—H.Kendrick (1), Jo.Wilson (2). HR—H.Matsui (9), off J.Vargas; Napoli (9), off Kelley. RBIs—E.Aybar (10), H.Kendrick (36), Tor.Hunter (39), H.Matsui (33), Napoli 2 (25), J.Rivera (25), Quinlan (1), I.Suzuki (15), Jo.Lopez (24), Bradley (21), Jo.Wilson (12). RLISP—Los Angeles 8 (H.Matsui 2, Quinlan, H.Kendrick 3, B.Abreu 2); Seattle 7 (Kotchman, Tuiasosopo 3, Jo.Wilson 2, I.Suzuki). RMU—J.Rivera, Frandsen, Jo.Lopez, M.Saunders.

IR-S—Olson 2-0, French 1-1. IBB—off Pineiro (I.Suzuki). T—3:25. A—33,076 (47,878).