Seattle’s winning streak stopped at 8 by Angels
SEATTLE — Kole Calhoun has come a long way since getting a needed break on the disabled list last month, and Garrett Richards looked pretty sharp after his own DL stint.
Calhoun hit a two-run homer, Richards pitched effectively into the sixth inning and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Mariners 7-4 on Wednesday afternoon to snap Seattle’s eight-game winning streak.
Batting in the leadoff spot for only the fourth time this season, Calhoun had three hits and drove in three runs to help lift Richards (5-4) in his return.
Calhoun’s towering homer in the sixth gave the Angels a 6-2 lead. He also had a single in the fourth inning for his first RBI. Calhoun is batting .306 with four homers and eight RBIs since coming off the DL on June 18. He was hitting .145 before that break.
“Kole did his job today,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “That’s what we need from the guys at the top of the order. It gave us a lot of opportunities today.”
Shohei Ohtani had two hits and scored two runs for the Angels.
Richards, who went on the DL on June 15 with a left hamstring strain, allowed three runs, including back-to-back homers to Kyle Seager and Ryon Healy, over 5 1/3 innings. He struck out eight.
“I just overthrew a couple heaters there,” Richards said of the home runs. “But I felt good. The hamstring felt good. I knew I would be on a leash (80 pitches), so I just tried to execute pitches.”
Richards retired 10 of the next 11 hitters he faced after the home runs.
The Mariners struck out 15 times and left eight men on base.
Mike Leake (8-5) allowed four runs and nine hits before leaving with no one out in the fifth.
Blake Parker pitched out of trouble in the ninth for his 10th save.
Mike Zunino singled and Denard Span doubled to put runners at second and third, but Dee Gordon flied out to centre and Zunino was thrown out at the plate on Jean Segura’s grounder to Albert Pujols at first. Mitch Haniger ended it with a groundout to third.
The Mariners had their chances, including a bases-loaded, no-outs situation in the seventh inning when trailing 6-3. Segura hit a broken-bat flare that looked like it might drop, but David Fletcher made a leaping catch to end that inning.