ANAHEIM, Calif. — Mike Zunino’s two-run double keyed a four-run fifth inning and the Seattle Mariners climbed within a game of the second AL wild-card spot by routing the Los Angeles Angels 13-2 on Tuesday night.
The Mariners haven’t been to the postseason since 2001, when they won 116 games under manager Lou Piniella and tied the major league mark set by the 1906 Chicago Cubs.
One night after becoming the first team in the majors to secure a playoff trip, the Angels lost for only the fourth time in 21 games. But their magic number for clinching the AL West went down to two because of Oakland’s 6-3 loss to Texas.
The Athletics still lead the wild-card race by a game over Kansas City, which has a one-game edge on the Mariners for the final postseason berth in the AL.
Carson Smith (1-0) earned his first major league victory with two innings of hitless relief in his fifth appearance. Mariners starter Roenis Elias allowed two runs and five hits in three-plus innings before leaving due to elbow stiffness with a 2-0 deficit.
This was the fifth time in Elias’ last six starts that his teammates failed to score while he was in the game. The rookie left-hander hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in any of his last 10 outings, but is only 3-4 during that stretch.
Angels righty Cory Rasmus, making his fourth start since Garrett Richards went down with a season-ending knee injury on Aug. 20, made 42 pitches through four innings and retired 12 of the 13 batters he faced.
The only blemish was a leadoff single by Kyle Seager in the second.
Jason Grilli replaced Rasmus in the fifth with a 2-0 lead and gave up a two-run double by Zunino, ending an 0-for-18 drought by the Mariners with runners in scoring position.
Chris Taylor chased Grilli with an RBI double and Dustin Ackley capped the rally with another run-scoring double against Mike Morin.
Seattle broke it open with six runs in the sixth.
The 13 runs by the Mariners tied a season high, and were one fewer than they had in their previous eight games combined.
Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia has used a committee approach in all five starts Richards has missed, and the Angels were 3-0 with a 2.67 ERA in their other three games in which Rasmus led the way.
Up next
Mariners: James Paxton (6-2, 1.83 ERA) threw seven scoreless innings of two-hit ball against the Angels in his season debut and beat them again six days later. But he didn’t pitch again for Seattle until Aug. 2, after missing more than 3½ months because of a strained muscle in his left side.
Angels: C.J. Wilson (12-9, 4.61) has a 6.64 ERA in 13 starts since June 19 — the last time he pitched seven full innings. He went five innings last Friday against Houston and left with a 3-2 deficit, but got credit for an 11-3 win after his teammates got him off the hook with seven runs in the bottom of the fifth.
