Jason Vargas pitched 6 1-3 innings, helps Mariners beat Angels 5-2

Mariners beat Lackey, Angels 5-2

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Jason Vargas pitched 6 1-3 impressive innings and the Seattle Mariners’ anemic offense got to John Lackey early in a 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night.

The Mariners, coming off a 6-1 victory in Oakland on Wednesday, have won consecutive games for the first time since beating Los Angeles on April 24-25 to take a 3½ game lead in the AL West. They are 12-20 since that 11-6 start and trail first-place Texas by six games.

Vargas (2-0) allowed two runs and four hits in his fourth start since being inserted into the rotation on May 12 because of an injury to Carlos Silva. In 24 career starts, Vargas is 6-7 with a 4.68 ERA. The left-hander sat out the entire 2008 season while recovering from hip surgery.