ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Angels have played 9 hours, 21 minutes of baseball in their first two games following the All-Star break, and their pitching staffs have thrown a total of 779 pitches in 28 innings.
Each team has a marathon victory with one game left in the weekend series.
Logan Morrison hit a go-ahead RBI double during Seattle’s two-run 12th inning, and the Mariners hung on to beat the Angels 3-2 on Saturday night — less than 24 hours after Los Angeles won the opener 3-2 in 16 innings.
“I don’t think our guys are tired. They’re resilient,” Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said. “It’s hard to win games at this level regardless of who you’re playing. We just happened to be playing the team with the second-best record in baseball.
“It was tough, but just like last night, in about five minutes, we’ve got to turn the page and get ready for (Sunday).”
Joe Thatcher (0-1) gave up a leadoff double in the 12th to Kyle Seager before Morrison drove him in with a hit down the left field line. Pinch-hitter Justin Smoak drove in pinch-runner Willie Bloomquist with an infield hit.
Dominic Leone (3-2) pitched one-plus inning for the victory after taking the loss Friday. Leone was pulled after giving up a leadoff homer to David Freese, but Charlie Furbush got three outs for his first save in four major league seasons.
Los Angeles remained 1 1/2 games behind AL West-leading Oakland.
Howie Kendrick legged out a leadoff double in the Angels’ ninth after his line drive ticked off the glove of shortstop Brad Miller and into short left field. But Brandon Maurer struck out Freese and retired Efren Navarro on a popup before Chris Iannetta struck out for the fourth straight time.
Five-time All-Star Felix Hernandez yielded an unearned run and just two hits over seven innings in his duel with All-Star snub Garrett Richards. This was the 12th consecutive start in which the 2010 AL Cy Young Award winner threw at least seven innings and allowed two runs or fewer, tying an AL record.
“I knew it was a tough matchup against Richards. He’s been hot for a while,” said Hernandez, who struck out nine and walked four. “I just wanted to go out and compete and make my team win. You’ve just got to make pitches and try to get people out.”
The Angels’ only hit through the first six innings was a leadoff double to left-center in the fourth by All-Star MVP Mike Trout. Hernandez, who started for the AL in the All-Star Game, took a 1-0 lead into the seventh and walked Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton with none out before giving up the tying run.
“I felt very bad to walk two in a row twice,” Hernandez said. “It’s just not me. I’ve just got to be more consistent. That’s when I get into trouble, when I walk people.”
Miller made a diving stop of Kendrick’s single behind second base and threw wildly past first base, allowing Pujols to score. Hernandez minimized the damage by fanning Iannetta with runners at second and third. Iannetta is 2 for 20 against Hernandez.
“You have to remember that he’s pitching on short rest because he threw on Tuesday, but his stuff was sharp, like always,” Pujols said. “He’s a warrior. He’s going to go out there and give you everything he has. We didn’t have many chances and they didn’t have many chances, either.
“Richards was tough, too. They both threw a great game.”
Richards, who came in with the same 11-2 record as Hernandez, allowed a run and three hits in eight innings and struck out seven. The right-hander retired his first 15 batters on just 49 pitches and struck out the side in the fourth before giving up a leadoff double in the sixth to Dustin Ackley and a line-drive RBI single by No. 9 hitter Jesus Sucre.
“That will be probably something I’ll carry with me the whole year. But it is what it is,” Richards said of being left off the All-Star team. “There’s nothing you can do about it now, so I’m just going to go out every five days and try to win a ballgame.
“Tonight I gave us a chance to win, and that’s first and foremost for me.”
NOTES: Hernandez has allowed only two home runs to the last 456 batters he has faced over 16 starts and 118 2/3 innings. … Huston Street pitched a scoreless ninth in his Angels debut following a trade Friday with the San Diego Padres. He became the Angels’ 29th pitcher this season, tying the franchise record set in 1996. The Angels made room for Street on the active roster by optioning 1B/DH C.J. Cron to Triple-A Salt Lake. … Angels SS Erick Aybar sat out because of soreness in his groin, which forced him out of Friday’s game. … Hamilton again was done in by Seattle’s over-shifted infield as 2B baseman Robinson Cano threw him out from the outfield grass his first two times up.
