Angels take Mariners’ measure

SEATTLE – The Seattle Mariners can use a tape measure to gauge their latest loss, but not the frustration that came with it.

If the 865 feet worth of home runs by the Angels’ Vladimir Guerrero weren’t difficult enough, the 90 feet between third base and home plate that the Mariners couldn’t seem to touch definitely were.

Those elements, plus a five-run Angels rally in the eighth inning when the Mariners couldn’t throw a pitch past them, led to a 9-4 M’s loss Friday night at Safeco Field.

Guerrero hit two solo home runs into the second deck in left field off Mariners starter Jamie Moyer, 431 feet in the fourth inning and 434 feet in the sixth. They were two of three homers off Moyer, who also gave up one to Bengie Molina in the second inning.

“Those balls Guerrero hit were a $15 cab ride,” Mariners manager Mike Hargrove said.

Still, the home runs didn’t bury the Mariners. Early, their own lack of execution with runners at third base and less than two outs kept them from adding to what once was a 3-1 lead.

In the eighth, the Angels battered relief pitchers J.J. Putz and George Sherrill for six hits and five runs to transform a 4-4 tie into another difficult game for the last-place Mariners.

That inning started with Putz’s leadoff walk to Darrin Erstad, with Guerrero batting next.

Guerrero singled, and Garret Anderson and Bengie Molina hit back-to-back RBI singles before Hargrove brought in Sherrill, a left-hander, to face left-handed-hitting Steve Finley. He popped up a bunt, but Juan Rivera hit an RBI single, Adam Kennedy a sacrifice fly, and Chone Figgins and Orlando Cabrera run-scoring singles.

The big inning took some of the sting from the Mariners’ blown opportunities when the game was close.

They scored two runs in the third on pitcher Jarrod Washburn’s throwing error after Willie Bloomquist bunted. With the ball rolling down the first-base line, Bloomquist broke for second and, realizing he had a chance to reach third with nobody out, he tried. Guerrero threw him out, although TV replays showed that Bloomquist reached third base before the ball did.

Washburn then got Raul Ibanez and Richie Sexson to end the inning, leaving the score 4-2.

The two-run lead lasted as long as it took Guerrero to see a pitch he could crush. He got it from Moyer, lining it into the second deck for his 24th homer this season.

Their lead down to a run, the Mariners had another chance to increase it after Beltre doubled and Jeremy Reed bunted him to third base in the bottom of the fourth.

Washburn struck out Yuniesky Betancourt and got little-used Scott Spiezio, who came into the game batting .057, to pop up.

Guerrero hit his second homer leading off the sixth on a 3-0 pitch from Moyer to tie the score 4-4.