M’s crush Angels

On a night when it seemed runs wouldn’t come easily, the Seattle Mariners decided to make something happen when they had a chance in the first inning.

They called for a hit-and-run.

And then the Mariners kept hitting and running, and running and hitting, and scoring.

And, along the way to an 11-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels at Safeco Field, they got another dose of solid relief pitching in what began as staff ace Felix Hernandez’s triumphant return from the disabled list.

The Mariners scored three runs in the first inning off Angels right-hander Kelvim Escobar, then six in the third to turn a much-anticipated pitching matchup into a game of big numbers by the Mariners’ hitters.

The 11 runs were their third-most this season, and their 14 hits came in every kind of way. Ichiro Suzuki went 5 for 5 for the fourth time in his major league career, and he had five hits for the sixth time. Jose Lopez hit a two-run homer in the big third inning, and Kenji Johjima hit a solo homer in the fourth.

“We hit a lot of balls hard, we hit a lot of ball easily that found holes,” manager Mike Hargrove said. “That is the key to anything. We had one of those nights where when we hit the ball, it seemed to find a hole.”

Nobody provided a better example than Suzuki, who raised his batting average 26 points to .312. It’s his first time above .300 since April 29.

“He’s the kind of player who can do that regularly,” Hargrove said. “We’ve got to keep it going.”

Hernandez pitched three solid innings before he tired, leaving after he gave up seven hits, three walks and three runs in 3 2/3 innings. The Angels’ first four hits were dinks and dunks – a bleeder up the middle in the first inning by Orlando Cabrera, then three straight infield singles in the third to score the Angels’ first run.

That pushed up Hernandez’s pitch count, and it took him 78 pitches to get 11 outs before Hargrove pulled him. Still, Hargrove was pleased considering Hernandez had missed nearly a month because of a muscle strain in his forearm.

“It was probably a little better than I anticipated,” Hargrove said. “The big thing about Felix is that he didn’t feel anything on any of his pitches. He felt healthy and strong.”

Hernandez will pitch again Sunday against the Padres, and he’ll have about 20 pitches added to his pitch count.

Hernandez led by six runs when Hargrove pulled him but, by not going at least five innings, didn’t quality for the victory.

That went to Sean White, the soft-spoken right-hander who did nothing more than snuff any hint of an Angels effort to get back into the game.

In a season that already has been full of spectacular relief pitching performances, White’s was one of the best. He retired all 13 hitters he faced, not allowing a hard-hit ball after he relieved Hernandez with two outs in the fourth inning.

White recorded his first major league victory.

“He came in and threw strikes,” Hargrove said.

Escobar, who came into the game 4-1 with a 2.21 ERA, allowed eight runs on eight hits and a walk.

Johjima and Jose Guillen each had two hits, and every Mariners starter got in on the fun with a hit. Well, everyone except struggling Richie Sexson, who went 0 for 4 and walked once, dropping his average to .176.

Davis on roster

Jason Davis arrived from Cleveland to complete a trade as the Mariners made three roster moves.

Davis, a hard-throwing right-handed reliever acquired on Sunday for a player to be named after Cleveland had designated him for assignment, was activated before Tuesday night’s game with the Los Angeles Angels.

Seattle optioned left-hander Ryan Rowland-Smith back to Triple-A Tacoma.

To make room on its 40-man major league roster for Davis, Seattle transferred veteran left-hander Arthur Rhodes to the 60-day disabled list.

Associated Press