Defense, pitching lead M's over Angels, 1-0

One glance at the opposing hitters flailing helplessly at high-90 mph fastballs in the final third of this game explains why the Mariners earned the ire of their manager this week.

The secret is rapidly getting out about the kind of bullpen arms the Mariners can show off once they get through the sixth inning with a lead. It was evident again in a 1-0 win on Wednesday night as the Mariners threw the equivalent of three closers at the abused-looking Los Angeles Angels from the seventh inning onward.

And it helped explain why manager Don Wakamatsu was so upset about the lack of starting pitching and defense he'd received in a loss on Tuesday night. Provided with a solid start from Chris Jakubauskas this time and much cleaner glove work, his team was again able to overmatch opposing hitters late.

"Instead of trying to stop a team after only nine innings, we can almost close it to six," Mariners reliever David Aardsma said after finishing off the ninth. "Generally, on all teams I've been on, I've been the hardest thrower on the team. Now, I'm third. Between Brandon Morrow and Mark Lowe, these guys are just bringing it."

And Morrow isn't even in the late-inning mix at the moment, though a 98 mph middle reliever isn't something hitters want to deal with. Instead, the struggles by Morrow, resulting in his removal from the closer role, have coincided with surges by Lowe and Miguel Batista.

Both were considered for the closer's job this spring and a crowd of 18,580 at Safeco Field saw them steamroll through the seventh and eighth after Jakubauskas allowed only two hits the first six innings. Several Boston Red Sox hitters commented last weekend about how Batista had some of the nastiest stuff they had seen all year, while Aardsma said Lowe "is throwing out of his mind right now."

And that meant all the Mariners needed on offense was a first-inning double by Ichiro and a run-scoring single by Ken Griffey Jr. Angels starter Ervin Santana, in his second outing since coming off the disabled list, worked into the seventh and left Seattle's bullpen with little margin for error.

"That's the thing I always said in spring training," said Lowe, hitting 99 mph and yielding just an infield single in the eighth. "We're very fortunate to have those kinds of arms out there. There are so many roles you can use with arms like that. You have middle relief guys who can throw that hard, then you have a set-up guy, then the closer. But obviously, the No. 1 thing is still location. You still have to throw strikes and make quality pitches."

Jakubauskas was hardly overpowering, needing 24 pitches to get through the first inning. But the defense behind him was ready, whether it was Ichiro making a racing catch at the wall or embattled shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt soaking up ground balls.

And Jakubauskas needed the defense. He was up to 80 pitches by the end of the fourth and could no longer afford to try for strikeouts.

"Definitely, it was make them put the ball into play early," said Jakubauskas, who got through his final two innings on just 20 pitches.

The defense's role was evident in that Jakubauskas managed only one strikeout, yet allowed just four base runners.

"It's a flow situation," Jakubauskas said. "Guys are on their toes and when they're on their toes, they're going to play a little bit better."

A little airing out and a benching or two by the manager can also work wonders.

Wakamatsu has yet to establish firm roles with his relievers because of Morrow's uncertain status and lingering health issues in the starting rotation. He'll need some of his hard-throwers to go longer, as Batista did for three innings last Saturday.

But Wakamatsu knows it's a luxury to have four or five guys who can throw 95 mph or better waiting in the bullpen.

"I really feel stronger about the depth of our bullpen as we go forward," he said. "I think these guys are going to be special."

Geoff Baker: 206-464-8286 or gbaker@seattletimes.com