SOLUTION SOUGHT FOR SEATTLE MARINERS PROVE TO BE TOO MUCH FOR ANGELS WITH 4-GAME SWEEP SEATTLE 8, ANGELS 4.

Byline: Joe Haakenson Staff Writer

ANAHEIM - Only moments after Angels manager Mike Scioscia held a closed-door meeting to tell his players to relax, right fielder Tim Salmon was doing anything but, taking batting practice in the underground cage.

The Seattle Mariners beat the Angels 8-4 Thursday night in front of 18,806 at Edison Field, completing a four-game sweep in Anaheim for the first time in franchise history. Going back to last season, the Mariners have beaten the Angels 12 consecutive games in Anaheim and 19 of 23 overall.

After the game, Scioscia gathered his players for 20 minutes in an effort to loosen them up and boost their confidence after the defending American League West champs dismantled them 26-10 in the series.

``The guys are upbeat and positive, they just have to relax and play the game,'' Scioscia said as Paul Pressler, the acting president of the club, stood in the back of the office. ``If anybody's at fault, they're trying too hard.

``That's a good ballclub in there, and we're going to show it. As much as we, the coaches, and the organization believe in this club, the players need to believe.''

The Angels beefed up their starting rotation and put together a solid starting lineup this offseason, but when it came to their bullpen, they went bargain shopping and it cost them during the series with Seattle.

Already hamstrung without closer Troy Percival, the Angels' bullpen was exposed during the four losses, during which Angels relievers gave up nine runs and 13 hits in 13 innings.

To make matters worse, ex-Angel Shigetoshi Hasegawa, let go to save money, needed 20 pitches to record the final eight outs in relief of starter Freddy Garcia.

Until CSUN product Adam Kennedy singled with two out in the ninth, the Mariners bullpen had not allowed a hit all series. The Mariners relievers combined for 10 1/3 innings and allowed no runs and one hit.

``We know Hase is a fine pitcher, and he's throwing the ball well,'' Scioscia said. ``He's going to do a good job for them and he did well against us.''

Hasegawa's replacement, Donne Wall, gave up a three-run double to Jeff Cirillo in the Mariners' six-run sixth.

``We've got guys who aren't throwing the ball as well as we know they're going to,'' Scioscia said. ''We have confidence in all these guys. Our bullpen's solid.''

Angels starter Scott Schoeneweis pitched well for five innings, allowing two runs and three hits. But in the sixth, the Mariners scored six times, all six charged to Schoeneweis even though it was Wall who gave up Cirillo's three-run double.

``I can't really put my finger on it,'' Schoeneweis said when asked what happened in the sixth. ``I think I was pressing a little bit, trying to make the perfect pitch. We just scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth and I wanted to come back out and put up a zero.''

Garcia, who lost his first two starts of the season, continued his mastery of the Angels. He went 5-0 with a 0.96 ERA against them last year, and picked up where he left off.

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Anaheim shortstop David Eckstein makes a leaping catch, but the Angels fell to the Mariners.

John Hayes/Associated Press