NOTHING IS NORMAL FOR ANGELS IN NORTHWEST ESCOBAR POUNDED IN LOSS TO MARINERS.

Byline: DOUG PADILLA 

Staff Writer

SEATTLE - Everything was amiss from the moment the Angels woke up Tuesday.

The sun was shining in the Pacific Northwest and the temperature was rising. Bicycle was the preferred mode of transportation as locals participated in an area-wide movement to conserve natural resources.

The Angels would eventually do no better than blow off a little steam after a 11-3 thumping by the Seattle Mariners that was all but locked away by the third inning.

The only thing familiar during this drubbing was watching Ichiro Suzuki delicately place hits on the outfield grass. Suzuki tied a career high with five hits, all singles. He has reached the five-hit mark six times in his career and three of them have come against the Angels.

As if that wasn't humiliating enough, former Angel now hated enemy Jose Guillen was doing much of the early damage. He gave the Mariners a 1-0 lead with a first-inning single and his third-inning RBI double started a six-run outburst.

Angels starter Kelvim Escobar was sent away after recording just one out in the third inning. By the fifth inning there were wholesale changes in the field as starters Orlando Cabrera, Gary Matthews Jr. and Casey Kotchman were removed.

Vladimir Guerrero never even played an inning as he received a night off.

Everybody seemed to follow his leisurely lead, Escobar especially.

The Angels right-hander was coming off his eighth career shutout last week against the Cleveland Indians and hardly looked like the same pitcher.

He gave up eight runs (six earned) on eight hits with a walk and a strikeout. He only managed to record seven outs.

Escobar (4-2) had not given up more than three earned runs in any of his starts this season. In fact, he had only given up 10 earned runs combined in his six starts.

The sign that it would be a strange night came quickly. Suzuki opened things up for the Mariners by hitting a chopper to Casey Kotchman's right at first base. Kotchman dived to make the stop but ignored Escobar covering first and was late to the bag to get Suzuki.

Jose Vidro followed with a hit-and run single before Escobar looked like he would actually change his fortunes. Raul Ibanez fouled out to third and Richie Sexson struck out. But Guillen came through with a two-out single, Vidro scored on an error by Chone Figgins and Guillen scored on a wild pitch.

The Angels did their best to fight back in the third inning with an army of infield singles off Mariners ace Felix Hernandez, who was making a return from the disabled list because of a strained right forearm.

Figgins walked, Cabrera bounced a single off the plate, Matthews dribbled a single down the third-base line and Casey Kotchman banged an RBI single off Hernandez's glove. But all the work would only yield a single run.

By the time Cabrera delivered a two-run single in the fourth inning, the Mariners already had nine runs on the board.

Cabrera's hit chased Hernandez from the game, leaving him intelligible for the victory because he didn't last five innings, but he left to a standing ovation anyway. Hernandez, who was on a strict pitch count because of his injury and he was removed after throwing 78 pitches.

So much for any thoughts the Angels might have of working counts to get Hernandez out of the game early. It might not have been the best of gameplans anyway since the Mariners' bullpen entered with a combined 3.21 ERA.

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Photo:

Seattle's Kenji Johjima rounds the bases after his fourth-inning home run Tuesday.

Kevin P. Casey/Associated Press

Box:

ANGELS vs. SEATTLE

- Doug Padilla