Angels end Mariners' season-high six-game win streak

SEATTLE (AP) -- The Los Angeles Angels haven't given up on catching the Oakland Athletics in the American League West.

Garret Anderson homered and Howie Kendrick drove in two runs, helping the Angels beat Seattle 5-3 on Wednesday night and end the Mariners' season-best six-game winning streak.

The second-place Angels ended a three-game losing streak and remained 7½ games behind Oakland in the AL West.

"They're all important right now," winning pitcher John Lackey said. "We know we've got to win because we're a ways back."

Vladimir Guerrero went 2-for-4 a night after lining a pitch off the head of Seattle starter Rafael Soriano.

Soriano, who sustained a mild concussion in the eighth inning of Tuesday night's game, was released from a Seattle hospital earlier Wednesday.

The last-place Mariners ended a 7-2 homestand against the New York Yankees, Boston and the Angels, but are 14 games behind the Athletics.

The Angels salvaged the finale of a three-game series in Seattle knowing Oakland had already won Wednesday. They play seven of their final 28 games against Oakland, including the final four in Anaheim.

"We have to play well every night," manager Mike Scioscia said. "We know we have to put the wins up."

The Angels tied it at 3 in the sixth when Anderson hit his 15th homer of the season off Jake Woods (4-2). After Robb Quinlan doubled off Woods, Joel Pineiro came in and gave up an RBI double to Kendrick that gave the Angels a 4-3 lead.

Kendrick was 2-for-5, with two doubles, after going 1-for-25 against the Mariners this season. He's hitting .356 against the rest of the AL. Kendrick was the Pacific Coast League Rookie of the Year this season.

"I just wanted to be aggressive tonight," said Kendrick, who was called up by the Angels on July 14 from Triple-A Salt Lake. "I usually take a lot of pitches. But tonight I was looking for some pitches and got 'em."

Los Angeles added an insurance run off Pineiro in the seventh on Guerrero's double and Juan Rivera's RBI single.

Lackey (11-9), 0-2 with a 9.74 ERA in three previous starts against the Mariners this season, allowed three runs and nine hits in 6 1/3 innings.

"I changed some things out of the stretch tonight," Lackey said.

Francisco Rodriguez pitched the ninth for his 37th save in 40 chances.

The Mariners took a 3-2 lead in the fourth on Kenji Johjima's RBI double and Jose Lopez's run-scoring single. Johjima attempted to score from second on Lopez's hit after right fielder Guerrero's throw got away from catcher Mike Napoli, but Napoli retrieved the ball and threw to Lackey to catch the sliding Johjima.

In the top of the fourth, Rivera scored from third on Quinlan's double-play grounder and Kendrick's RBI double for the Angels.

Yuniesky Betancourt tripled and scored on Chris Snelling's suicide squeeze in the third inning for Seattle's first run.

Scioscia came out and argued with plate umpire Jerry Crawford. He contended the ball hit Snelling's foot and should have been foul. The TV replays appeared to support him.

"I asked him to get help," Scioscia said.

"On the squeeze, I guess it hit the guy in the leg," Lackey said. "I didn't have the best luck and still wound up winning."

Woods, making his third start for Seattle in place of the traded Jamie Moyer, allowed four runs and eight hits in five-plus innings.

"I feel like I could have done better, but I didn't," Woods said.

Jon Huber made his major league pitching debut for the Mariners in the ninth, striking out Kendrick with two runners on.

"I've been waiting since I was 10 years old to do this," said Huber, 25. "I can't explain it. I'm on Cloud Nine. It's awesome, unbelievable."

Game notes
Quinlan extended his hitting streak to 16 games, five shy of his career high set in 2004. ... Betancourt, Seattle's sensational second-year shortstop, turned in the play of the night in the second inning when he went 10 feet onto the grass in left field and threw out Quinlan on a close play. ... Former Mariners 3B Mike Blowers and Ed Vanni, 88, who played for the Seattle Rainiers of the Pacific Coast League, were honored before the game as the newest members of the State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame.