Miley Posts His 1st Win For Mariners, Beats Angels
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Wade Miley overcame a shaky first inning that included a home by slumping Albert Pujols to post his first victory in a Mariners uniform, helping Seattle beat the Los Angeles Angels 9-4 Sunday.
Kyle Seager, Leonys Martin and Seth Smith hit home runs for the Mariners.
Pujols ended a career-worst 0-for-26 skid with his 563rd career homer, tying Reggie Jackson for 13th place all-time.
Miley (1-2) allowed four runs and six hits in 7 1-3 innings. The left-hander, obtained in a trade with Boston in December, allowed one hit after Pujols' two-out single in the third — an eighth-inning homer by Yunel Escobar on his 98th and final pitch.
Matt Shoemaker (1-3) was charged with seven runs, six hits and three walks in three-plus innings.
Shoemaker threw 32 of his 73 pitches during Seattle's four-run first. Nelson Cruz, the only right-handed batter in the Mariners' starting lineup, hit a broken-bat infield RBI single and Seager drove a 2-0 pitch into the right field pavilion. It was the third homer this season for Seager, who hit a career-high 26 last year.
The Angels responded with three runs in the bottom half, with Miley throwing 34 pitches. Mike Trout singled with two out and Pujols homered to left-center. Kole Calhoun, the only left-handed hitter in the Angels' starting lineup, then walked and came all the way around on a double to right-center by Geovany Soto.
Seattle extended its lead to 7-3 in the fourth, as Shoemaker failed to retire any of the four batters he faced that inning. Martin hit a two-run homer after a leadoff walk to Steve Clevenger, and another run scored on Smith's double-play grounder.
Smith hit a two-run homer in the ninth against Cory Rasmus, who was pitching his fourth inning of relief after three perfect innings.
SPIKE MARKS
Mariners: Seager had only two RBIs over his previous eight games. He has three hits in 16 career at-bats against Shoemaker, but two of the hits have been home runs. ... Miley gave up only one run over 15 innings in his other two starts against the Angels, including seven scoreless innings of one-hit ball in a no-decision last July 17 in Anaheim.
Angels: Pujols' homer was his first hit since his two-run shot on April 17 at Minnesota. Miley became the 363rd different pitcher the three-time NL MVP has homered against in the regular season during his 16-year career. Jackson homered off 306 different pitchers, not counting the postseason. ... The Angels committed three errors, raising their season total to 11 in 19 games. . Two-time Gold Glove SS Andrelton Simmons committed his first error of the season in the first inning when he fielded Cruz's ball and made an off-balance throw past second base trying for a force.
UP NEXT
Mariners: RHP Taijuan Walker (1-0) opposes Houston's Doug Fister on Monday night in the opener of a three-game series at Safeco Field. Walker is 4-1 with a 4.40 ERA in eight career starts against the Astros, who were 12-7 against Seattle last season.
Angels: Garrett Richards (0-3) matches up against Ian Kennedy on Monday night in the opener of a three-game set with Kansas City. The defending World Series champion Royals were one of two teams to sweep the Halos in a three-game series in Anaheim last season, along with AL East champion Toronto.
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