ANAHEIM, Calif. — Howie Kendrick hit his second home run of the game with two outs and two on in the ninth inning, a three-run shot, giving the Los Angeles Angels a 9-7 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Sunday — a day after Kendry Morales broke his leg celebrating a game-winning grand slam.
Manager Mike Scioscia met with his team before the game to change the club's policy on home plate celebrations, and it was put to the test in short order. Kendrick had a clear path and touched home plate without a jump as his jubilant teammates ran on the field and kept a safe distance from the foul line before mobbing him.
Hideki Matsui, who hit a two-run homer in the first, drew a leadoff walk in the ninth from Seattle closer David Aardsma (0-3). After an out, Mike Napoli reached when his line drive to the mound popped out of Aardsma's glove. Kendrick then worked the count to 3-2 before clearing the 18-foot wall in right-center with his fourth homer of the season.
Fernando Rodney (4-0) pitched a hitless ninth for the victory.
Mariners starter Ian Snell held the Angels scoreless for three innings after giving up Matsui's seventh homer. But manager Don Wakamatsu lost patience with the right-hander after he walked his first two batters in the fifth and pulled him with a 7-2 lead.
Jesus Colome came on and walked two of his first four batters, including Juan Rivera with two outs and the bases loaded to force in the Angels' third run.
Bobby Abreu drew another bases-loaded walk in the sixth from rookie Kanekoa Texeira. That brought in righty Shawn Kelley to face the lefty-swinging Matsui. But Elizer Alfonzo was charged with catcher's interference when Matsui's bat made contact with his glove, allowing Erick Aybar to score and trim Seattle's lead to 7-5.
Kelley gave up a homer to Kendrick in the seventh, cutting Seattle's margin to 7-6.
Joe Saunders was charged with seven runs and 10 hits over 4 1/3 innings. The left-hander is 1-5 with a 6.34 ERA in his seven starts at Angel Stadium this season.
Alfonzo turned a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead in the fourth with his first AL home run, a drive that cleared both bullpens in left field after Mike Sweeney and Jose Lopez opened the inning with singles.
Matsui, back in the cleanup spot for the first time since May 2, hit a two-run homer to right field on the first pitch he saw from Snell. It came with two out in the first after Erick Aybar led off the inning with a single.
Matsui batted cleanup in each of his first 26 games this season and hit .260 during that stretch with four homers and 13 RBIs before he was dropped down in the order. But with the injury to Morales, Scioscia had little choice but to hit him in the four hole with a righty starting for Seattle.
Notes
The Angels played without Gold Glove center fielder Torii Hunter, who was hit on the left hand by a pitch from Felix Hernandez Saturday. … Second base umpire Brian Knight left the game with a bruised left leg after getting struck by Josh Wilson's potential inning-ending double-play grounder in the second. He was taken for precautionary X-rays. Wilson was credited with a single.