ANGELS LEFT WITH ICHIRO WOE HE HAS FOUR HITS, INCLUDING TWO HOMERS, AS MARINERS WIN AGAIN SEATTLE 8, ANGELS 4.

Byline: Gabe Lacques Staff Writer

SEATTLE - There has been no shortage of theories as to why this Angels season has gone south, and it reached yet another low point Tuesday night, when the Seattle Mariners pushed them 12 1/2 games out of first place with an 8-4 victory at Safeco Field.

But for one evening, their woes could be traced to a simple, unavoidable fact: The Mariners have Ichiro Suzuki, the Angels don't.

Suzuki had his 11th career four-hit game, homered twice and sparked a psyche-crushing four-run rally in the fifth inning that culminated with Bret Boone's first-pitch grand slam. That gave the Mariners a 6-1 lead and sent the Angels (34-34) careening back to .500 for the 15th time this season.

The Angels flexed their muscles, too, hitting four home runs off Seattle starter Ryan Franklin (6-4). But, typical of their inopportune timing in this frustrating defense of a World Series title, all came with the bases empty. And now, they've dropped the first two games of this four-game series, ensuring they will pick up no ground on the Mariners this time.

Meanwhile, Suzuki figured in every one of the Mariners' six runs off Kevin Appier, reversing a recent trend in which the Angels pitched him as tough as any team. He entered Tuesday with just four hits in 27 at-bats against the Angels this year, continuing a pattern that began last July, when the Angels held him to just one hit in a three-game series here.

Many teams had found success pitching Suzuki inside, knowing that, if so inclined, Suzuki could turn on those pitches and take a shot at Safeco Field's enticing porch in right field.

On Tuesday he did just that, homering off Appier his first two times up to give the Mariners a 2-1 lead.

In the fifth inning, Appier gave up a leadoff single to Jeff Cirillo, then retired the next two batters. Up next was Suzuki, who chopped an innocent-looking ball toward foul ground near third base. But it found the corner of the third-base bag and bounced merrily into left field for a single.

The crowd of 39,054 erupted, sensing the force they call ``Sodo Mojo'' here again was at work. Appier complied, walking Carlos Guillen to load the bases for Boone.

Boone didn't even give the crowd a chance to build the tension. He crushed the next pitch from Appier well over the 405-foot sign just to the right of dead center field.

Just like that it was 6-1, and the Angels, almost all nine of them, stood in their tracks around the diamond as Boone rounded the bases.

They fought back the next inning, as Darin Erstad and Garret Anderson hit home runs off Franklin, and Tim Salmon did the same in the eighth to cut it to 8-4.

But by then, reliever Scot Shields had walked in a run and gave up a bases- loaded sacrifice fly in the seventh, which gave Seattle much-needed breathing room.

Appier, who had given the Angels six decent starts out of seven since returning from the disabled list, now has a recent problem with the home run ball. Against Florida two starts ago, he gave up three hits, but two of them were home runs. On Tuesday, he gave up just five hits in six innings, but three of them were home runs.

Franklin gave up four home runs but just two other hits. And, he had Suzuki on his side.

Gabe Lacques, [phone]

gabe.lacques(at)sgvn.com

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Photo:

Reliever Scot Shields (62) reacts after walking home a run in the seventh inning. The Angels returned to .500 with the loss in Seattle.

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press