Erick Aybar and Bobby Abreu each drove in three runs and Joel Pineiro won his seventh consecutive decision as the Los Angeles Angels earned an 8-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night.
The Angels started the second half of the season with a huge night at the plate, finishing with 16 hits to pull 4 ½ games back of first-place Texas in the American League West.
Aybar had three hits, including a two-run single in the second and RBI single in the sixth. Abreu drove him in with a double in the first and added a two-run single in the sixth. Howie Kendrick had two doubles and an RBI and Jeff Mathis managed three hits and scored two runs.
Pineiro (10-6) allowed three runs on six hits in seven innings. He had four strikeouts and walked one and hasn’t been beaten since June 1.
Seattle starter Doug Fister (3-5) lost his fourth decision in a row and was tagged for six runs on 12 hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Ichiro Suzuki provided all of Seattle’s offense with a bases-clearing double in the fifth.
Seattle reliever Jamey Wright made his debut in the seventh after signing on Thursday. He allowed Mathis’ RBI single before getting the final out of the inning.