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Ariel Miranda threw seven strong innings and got plenty of support from the offense as the Seattle Mariners cruised to an 11-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night at Safeco Field. Miranda gave up only a two-out, two-run single to the Angels' No. 9 hitter -- catcher Juan Graterol -- in the second inning and let the Mariners' bats handle the rest as Seattle took two of three in the series.
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Danny Valencia had four hits, including a home run, drove in three and scored two. Ben Gamel and Guillermo Heredia also had three hits and two RBIs apiece for Seattle, which tallied 16 hits.
On the wrong end of most of those hits was Angels starter Alex Meyer, who lasted only four innings and gave up six runs and eight hits. He was making the start after being called up from Triple-A Salt Lake, taking the place of the injured Tyler Skaggs (strained oblique).
Yunel Escobar had four hits for the Angels.
The Mariners took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Nelson Cruz went the other way on a 98 mph fastball from Meyer, hitting it to the wall in right-center for a double that scored Robinson Cano from first.
The Angels responded with two runs in the second inning after Cameron Maybin singled and Danny Espinosa walked with one out. They moved to second and third on a groundout, then scored on Graterol's two-out single for a 2-1 lead.
The Mariners rallied for three runs in the third, scoring all three with two outs. Valencia tied the game with an RBI single, but the big blow was a flare to shallow right field hit by Heredia that went for a two-run double and 4-2 Seattle edge.
The Mariners increased their lead to 6-2 in the fourth inning, getting an RBI double from Ben Gamel and an RBI single from Cruz.
Valencia's homer -- his third of the season -- made it 8-2 in the seventh inning before Gamel, Kyle Seager and Valencia provided RBI singles in the eighth.
NOTES: Angels CF Mike Trout was not in the starting lineup because of a tight hamstring. However, Angels manager Mike Scioscia said Trout would have been in the lineup if it were a playoff game. It's the first game this season Trout has not been in the starting lineup -- he had started 28 in center field and one as the designated hitter. Cameron Maybin started in Trout's place in center field and DH Albert Pujols took Trout's No. 3 spot in the batting order. ... Mariners RHP Hisashi Iwakuma's next scheduled start is in question because of a sore left knee. Iwakuma, who was hit by a line drive off the bat of Angels SS Andrelton Simmons on Wednesday, is supposed to start Tuesday in Philadelphia, but Mariners manager Scott Servais said Iwakuma will be monitored over the next few days before a decision is made.
