Angels top Mariners to continue winning streak
SEATTLE (AP) -- Nearly two months later, the Angels are starting to resemble the team they expected to be coming out of spring straining.
Kendrys Morales had three hits, including a home run, scored twice and drove in two runs to help the Los Angeles Angels complete their first four-game road sweep of the Seattle Mariners in 27 years with a 4-2 victory Sunday.
At one point in late April, the Angels were 7-15. But they've pulled themselves within one game of .500 (24-25) and 6 1-2 games behind rival Texas in the AL West.
"We got off to a rough start but everyone stayed on an even keel," said Mark Trumbo, who hit a solo homer in the seventh. "We have confidence in what we're doing now. This is the style of play we knew we could do. I don't see any reason why we can't continue."
C.J. Wilson (6-4) earned the win, allowing two hits and one run before leaving after six innings with a blister on his left hand.
"We don't need to score five runs in an inning. We just need one run, one run, one run," Wilson said. "Sometimes it's a home run, sometimes it's a stolen base.
The Angels added a run in the ninth on Howie Kendrick's sacrifice fly, scoring Morales. The batter before, Morales advanced to third on another fly ball.
"This is like we envisioned during spring training, as offense that coalesces into a multifaceted unit, speed guys, power guys," Wilson said. "The last run we scored was a sac fly but Kendrys tagged up from second on the flyout to center field. That's why he scored. We have to get greedy every time we score a run."
Jordan Walden, Ernesto Frieri and Scott Downs covered for him over the final three innings. Downs picked up his fifth save.
The Angels have won season-high six straight games, the longest current streak in the majors. They last swept the Mariners in four games here from April 25-28, 1985.
Morales and Trumbo each hit solo home runs off Mariners starter Hector Noesi (2-6). Both came on 0-2 pitches.
The Mariners have lost four in a row.
Wilson, who struck out five and walked two, yielded a two-out double to Jesus Montero in the fourth followed by Justin Smoak's RBI single to right.
Mike Trout opened the game with a single to right and stole second. He scored on Morales' two-out single to left.
The Mariners closed it to one run in the seventh when Montero scored from third on a wild pitch.
NOTES: Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager made a quick, athletic move in the fifth to avoid being hit by Trout's splintered bat. Seager gathered up the grounder but spotted the bat barrel pin wheeling toward his head. He ducked under it, made a 360-degree turn and threw a strike to first. ... Alberto Callaspo's pinch-hit grand slam Saturday was the 6th allowed by the Mariners in club history but the first since May 6, 1988 (Detroit's Pat Sheridan off Mike Jackson.) ... Mariners CF Franklin Gutierrez will be sent to Arizona Monday to start his rehab from a torn right pectoral muscle in spring training. It's expected he will move along to Triple-A Tacoma before returning. ... Two-time batting champion and career .324 hitter Ichiro Suzuki went 0 for 3 against Wilson and has a career .196 average with 12 strikeouts against him.