ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) – Virginia Tech alumnus Joe Saunders, wearing a Hokies cap, scattered seven hits during his six scoreless innings Friday night in the Los Angeles Angels’ 8-4 victory over Seattle.
Vladimir Guerrero, back after missing two games with a bruised right wrist, hit a solo homer and went 3-for-5 to help the Angels end a six-game losing streak.
Saunders (2-0) walked two and struck out one.
The only former Hokies player currently in the majors, he also wrote VT on his cleats and scribbled Virginia Tech in the dirt back of the mound in memory of the 32 victims shot to death on the campus last Monday.
During a moment of silence for them before the game, Saunders seemed near tears.
Drafted by the Angels out of Virginia Tech in 2002, Saunders said he did not know any of those killed in the shooting.
He received special permission from commissioner Bud Selig to wear the Virginia Tech cap during the game.
Guerrero left Monday’s game in Boston with a bruised right wrist when a pitch by Josh Beckett struck him.
The Angels scored two runs in both the first and third innings against Miguel Batista (1-2), and Guerrero’s fourth homer made it 5-0 in the fifth.
Batista gave up six runs on 10 hits, including a solo homer by Mike Napoli in the sixth as the Mariners lost their fourth straight.
Seattle’s Jose Guillen, who has said he would never forgive Angels manager Mike Scioscia for throwing him off the team after a blowup late in the 2004 season, went 2-for-4 in his second trip to Anaheim since then.
Guillen had thrown a tantrum in the dugout after getting pulled for a pinch-runner, and he and Scioscia apparently had words in the clubhouse afterward. Guillen was traded to Washington before the 2005 season and played one series for the Nationals in Anaheim.
The Mariners scored twice in the eighth off Justin Speier. Raul Ibanez doubled home one run, and the other scored on the play when Gary Matthews Jr. bobbled the ball in center.
Seattle scored two more in the ninth against Hector Carrasco, on RBI singles Jose Lopez and Adrian Beltre. Closer Francisco Rodriguez replaced Carrasco with runners on first and second and one out and got the final two outs to earn his fifth save in six chances.
Shea Hillenbrand had two hits of Anaheim’s 14 hits against the Mariners and drove in two runs, and Casey Kotchman had three hits and an RBI.
Notes: Scioscia said before the game that Guillen had “flip-flopped” in his attitude about him and the Angels, saying, “Everything was fine when he was traded. I spoke to Jose two times the day he was traded, and he said publicly that he was accountable for what happened. He took anger management, said how much he loved us, regretted the incident, took responsibility for the incident, and said he had moved on.” … Former Angels SS Gary DiSarcina was named manager of the Boston Red Sox’s Class-A team in Lowell, Mass. … Seattle LHP Eric O’Flaherty was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma for bullpen depth. … The Angels recalled INF Kendry Morales from Triple-A Salt Lake to replace the injured Howie Kendrick on the roster.
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