Critical Notes

John Lackey dominated Seattle in a seven-hit shutout. (AI Wire photo)

As far as the Seattle Mariners are concerned, they may as well concede whenever John Lackey is on the hill.

The Los Angeles Angels’ ace pitched his second consecutive shutout against Seattle, mowing down the Mariners in a 6-0 win at Safeco Field on Monday night. Lackey (16-8) joined Tim Wakefield and Josh Beckett, both of Boston, as the only 16-game winners in the major leagues.

He lowered his ERA to 3.18 and needed only 109 pitches (71 strikes) to record the win over the Angels’ closest rival in the American League West. Lackey is now 3-0 this year against the Mariners and has allowed 18 singles to them in those victories. That’s no doubles, no triples, no home runs. Just one base hit at a time. Talk about making your opponent feel small.

With the win in the opener of this important series, Los Angeles built a three-game lead over Seattle. Hot-hitting Garret Anderson had a homer and three RBIs to lead the Angels’ offense. The Angels paid -107 on the moneyline (meaning a winning wager of $107 would net a $100 profit).

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John Lackey dominated Seattle in a seven-hit shutout. (AI Wire photo)

As far as the Seattle Mariners are concerned, they may as well concede whenever John Lackey is on the hill.

The Los Angeles Angels’ ace pitched his second consecutive shutout against Seattle, mowing down the Mariners in a 6-0 win at Safeco Field on Monday night. Lackey (16-8) joined Tim Wakefield and Josh Beckett, both of Boston, as the only 16-game winners in the major leagues.

He lowered his ERA to 3.18 and needed only 109 pitches (71 strikes) to record the win over the Angels’ closest rival in the American League West. Lackey is now 3-0 this year against the Mariners and has allowed 18 singles to them in those victories. That’s no doubles, no triples, no home runs. Just one base hit at a time. Talk about making your opponent feel small.

With the win in the opener of this important series, Los Angeles built a three-game lead over Seattle. Hot-hitting Garret Anderson had a homer and three RBIs to lead the Angels’ offense. The Angels paid -107 on the moneyline (meaning a winning wager of $107 would net a $100 profit).

(more…)