Angels Find Answer for Seattle

They tormented the Angels in 1995, storming back from a 13-game deficit in early August to win the American League West, and they tortured them again Tuesday night, erasing a five-run deficit to take a two-run lead in the seventh inning.

The Seattle Mariners, better known around these parts as Anaheim’s Worst Nightmare, staged another remarkable rally against the Angels.

But this time the Angels had an answer: Tim Salmon’s three-run double in the bottom of the eighth inning that gave them an 11-9 victory over the Mariners before 17,492 in Anaheim Stadium.

Jim Edmonds drew a walk from Seattle reliever Greg McCarthy to start the eighth-inning rally, and Dave Hollins drew another walk off reliever Josias Manzanillo.

Jim Leyritz followed with a chopper to third baseman Russ Davis, who bobbled the ball and threw to second. But Hollins got a great jump off first and beat the throw, allowing the Angels to load the bases.

Salmon, who entered with a .167 average (4 for 24) on the homestand but homered in the fourth, followed with a bases-clearing drive to left-center. “Seattle is so strong offensively and they have such good starting pitching, but the bullpen is one area we can hopefully make up some ground in,” Salmon said. “Other than [closer Norm] Charlton, they have some younger guys out there. Young guys tend to make mistakes, so you want to take advantage of them.”

Closer Troy Percival then retired the heart of the Seattle order--Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez--for his first save.

The come-from-behind victory was the Angels’ sixth in their last nine games.

“No question it’s big to beat these guys,” Salmon said. “They’re our No. 1 rival, we always play these back-and-forth games . . . ... it came down to one [playoff] game in ’95. They’re definitely the team to beat in the division.”

The Mariners appeared to have the Angels beat in the seventh when Jay Buhner, who robbed Salmon of a homer with a leaping catch above the right- field wall in the fifth, drilled a three-run homer off reliever Rich DeLucia for a 9-7 lead.

The Angels rallied in the bottom of the seventh when Leyritz walked, Garret Anderson singled and Eddie Murray singled to right to score Leyritz, making the score 9-8. McCarthy struck out Chad Kreuter and retired Gary DiSarcina on a fly ball to end the inning.

A seven-run outburst in the fourth had given the Angels a 7-2 lead, but Angel starter Jason Dickson issued a two-out walk to No. 9 hitter Rob Ducey in the fifth, Joey Cora and Rodriguez each singled to load the bases for Griffey, whose 470-foot homer had given Seattle a 2-0 lead in the first.

Griffey walked to force in a run, trimming the lead to 7-3. Dickson then jumped ahead of Martinez, 0-2, and thought he had strike three with a fastball that umpire Dale Ford ruled just off the outside corner.

Dickson stormed off the back of the mound in frustration, and the temporary loss of composure may have cost him when he left his next pitch up and over the plate.

Martinez drilled the fastball into the right-center field gap for a bases-clearing double, as the Mariners pulled to within 7-6. Dickson recovered, striking out Sorrento to end the inning.

Griffey gave the Mariners a 2-0 lead in the first with a mammoth two-run home run to right-center, a blast that landed in one of the tunnels leading to the outfield bleachers.

It was Griffey’s major league-leading 20th homer.

But the Angels came back with seven runs in a fourth-inning barrage that featured Salmon’s sixth home run, Edmonds’ two-run single and Hollins’ three-run homer, all off Seattle starter Jeff Fassero.

Anderson, Murray and Kreuter also singled in the inning, with Anderson’s extending his hitting streak to 15 and Kreuter’s hit knocking in a run.