Lincecum shelled early in 6-4 loss

By Pete Zarustica

The weather has cooled off a bit in Orange County, and so, it seems, have the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. On Friday, they dropped a 6-4 decision to the Seattle Mariners, their second straight loss.

Reclamation project Tim Lincecum was the chief culprit, giving up six runs in the first inning at Safeco Field. A two-time Cy Young Award winner, his comeback efforts continue to stall with the Halos. He yielded nine hits and six earned runs in 3.1 innings. He walked two and struck out one as his ERA rose to 9.16. His record fell to 2-6.

“It’s just another thing about going out and making the adjustment, and I just didn’t make one,” Lincecum said. “I think these guys were kind of sitting soft on me and I didn’t go to my fastball enough. It seemed to happen pretty fast.”

The Angels took an early lead on Mike Trout’s three-run home run, his 20th round-tripper of the season. They pushed across another run in the fifth, but that was as close as they got.

After the loss, the Angels are 49-60, still in fourth in the American League West, a half-game ahead of Oakland.

The series with the M’s continues Saturday with Tyler Skaggs (1-0) making the start for the Halos.