Seattle, WA (SportsNetwork.com) - Chris Young led the Seattle Mariners with a commanding performance from the mound to a 5-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the opener a four-game set.
Young (4-2) did not allow a hit until the sixth inning. He struck out five and surrendered just one run and two hits over 6 1/3 solid frames.
"I don't think he was doing anything we didn't expect," said Angels manager Mike Scioscia on Young. "He just put the ball into some gray areas and we didn't square up really well."
Robinson Cano went 3-for-4 with two RBI and Michael Saunders had two hits and two runs scored for the Mariners, who snapped a two-game skid.
Albert Pujols homered and Tyler Skaggs (4-2) was tagged for five runs -- two earned -- on seven hits with eight strikeouts in seven innings for the Angels, who entered the game with four wins in their last five.
James Jones and Saunders both singled to lead off the first. Jones hustled home on Cano's single into the center-field gap and Justin Smoak's RBI groundout gave the Mariners an early 2-0 lead.
Seattle tacked on three more runs in the second. Dustin Ackley singled with one out and stole second. He came home two batters later, after Angels' shortstop Erick Aybar bobbled Jones' grounder.
Saunders brought Jones around with a triple down the right-field line and crossed home plate on Cano's single up the middle to make it a 5-0 game.
"The guys gave me a great lead and I was able to be aggressive," said Young on his outing.
Young's no-hitter bid was disrupted by Kole Calhoun's one-out single to center during the sixth and Pujols got the Angels on the board after stroking a leadoff homer to left in the seventh.
Fernando Rodney pitched a scoreless ninth to secure the win for Young.
Game Notes
The Mariners stole three bases in the second ... Skaggs has pitched at least six innings in nine of his 10 starts this season ... Seattle is now 23-12 on Memorial Day.
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