Ibanez's Homers Lead Seattle to Win Over Angels

Mariners right-hander Felix Hernandez won his first game of the season and it was a battle.

Raul Ibanez Photo courtesy: Seattle Mariners/MLB

SEATTLE - The first salvo between the teams expected to duke it out for the AL West title had just about everything a game could have Friday night at Safeco Field, where the Mariners and Angels showed how entertaining their 19 head-to-head games just might be this season.

There were home runs, great plays, miscues, and a battle that went back-and-forth from start to finish.

More than three hours after right-hander Felix Hernandez threw the first pitch in the opener of a three-game series, right-hander Mark Lowe threw the last one, inducing a game-ending ground ball that secured the Mariners' 8-5 victory in front of 28,915.

"It's only one game, we won it, played well and did a nice job," said left fielder Raul Ibanez, who hit two home runs and a double, scored three runs and drove in three runs. "We have to start over tomorrow and we know it's going to be another battle against those guys. That is a very good team over there."

On this night, the Mariners were a good enough team to fend off the Angels despite a two-error eighth inning that put Seattle (5-6) in jeopardy of losing a lead that Ibanez and others helped build. His ninth career two-homer game included a mammoth shot that nearly cleared the right-field bleachers. Ibanez has a team-leading four home runs.

Ibanez didn't hit his fourth home run last season until June 11. His run-scoring double in the eighth inning capped a two-run burst and provided some extra cushion for Lowe, who retired three of the four batters he faced to notch his first Major League save -- and first since he pitched in for Double-A San Antonio two years ago.

"I can see why J.J. [Putz] enjoys his job so much," Lowe said. "It was fun, a lot of fun."

Lowe became the fourth Mariners reliever to record a save this season, not exactly the game plan coming out of Spring Training. Putz, who is working his way back from a rib injury, probably needs another couple of weeks before resuming his all-important role.

In the meantime, every game the Mariners can win without Putz getting the final out makes it better for the team down the road when he comes back.

And every win against the Angels is big.

The Angels won the West last season largely because they won the season series against Seattle, 13-6.

"We needed this win, we really did," manager John McLaren said. "We needed this for us. No one has to tell us about the Angels, and who they are. We are well aware of that. They are the team to beat and that's what we're striving for."

Mariners right-hander Felix Hernandez won his first game of the season and it was a battle. He surrendered his first earned run of the season in the third inning, when Jeff Mathis slugged a leadoff home run, surrendered another solo blast in the sixth inning to Gary Matthews Jr., and two more runs before he called it a night after throwing 117 pitches.

He departed with a two-run lead and, thanks to some nifty pitching by reliever Sean Green in the eighth inning, Seattle managed to hold on to the lead.

Green made a wild throw to second base on what could have been a double play, and first baseman Richie Sexson booted a grounder, allowing a run to score. But Green regrouped, got three outs before the Angels could erase the deficit.

While Ibanez has been one of the Mariners' most consistent hitters this season, a couple of the ones struggling the most -- right fielder Brad Wilkerson and catcher Kenji Johjima -- contributed to the season-high eight runs.

Wilkerson delivered a two-run single into right-center that capped a three-run rally in the sixth inning the counter-punched the two runs the Angels scored in the top of the inning to take a 3-2 lead. Wilkerson's clutch hit came after Sexson worked Angels starter Jered Weaver for a bases-loaded walk on a full-count pitch.

The last time Sexson was in a bases-loaded situation like this at home, he swung at a pitch way outside and struck out. That was two weeks ago and he has made huge strides since then.

"The guy's like 6-11 or whatever," said Weaver of Sexson. "It was close. I was thinking that it's kind of hard to throw a high ball to Sexson."

But he did and Sexson gladly accepted the RBI, his 10th of the season.

Johjima ended a 0-for-23 skid with a run-scoring double in the eighth inning.

"We had a lot of opportunities," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said after his team stranded 10 runners and was 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position. "We didn't do as well as we usually do."

Story by: Jim Street

Courtesy: MLB.com/Seattle Mariners

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