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Julio Morban hits 2 home runs to help Mariners beat Angels 8-5

By: Jim Richards, The Associated Press

Friday, Mar. 15, 2013 at 6:51 PM | Comments: 0

TEMPE, Ariz. - Julio Morban homered twice and Seattle right-hander Jeremy Bonderman allowed two runs in four innings in his second spring start to help the Mariners beat the Los Angeles Angels 8-5 on Friday in front of 9,662 fans, the Angels' first sellout of the spring.

Morban hit a two-run shot off Angels starter Tommy Hanson in the second for his first homer of the spring, and added another two-run blast off Billy Buckner in the eighth.

Bonderman is recovering from Tommy John surgery and hasn't pitched in the majors since 2010.

Bonderman is trying to make the Seattle rotation. Bonderman compiled a 67-77 record over eight seasons with Detroit. The Mariners signed him to a minor league contract in January 2013. Friday was his fourth spring appearance overall.

"They've gotten better every outing," Bonderman said. "I'm going to try to keep working and get quick outs and get in and out. I think my breaking ball has gotten a lot sharper, a lot better. Overall, I'm getting that feel back. I threw four or five (split-finger fastballs) and bunch of breaking balls, four-seamers, two-seamers."

Bonderman admitted that he does not have the luxury of working on pitches this spring.

"I need results," he said. "It's not like when you're on the team for sure and you can go out there and work on stuff. It's working out all right so far.

"There's some good guys (on this staff). If I don't make the team, I don't make the team. It's a business. I've proven to myself I can pitch. If it's not here it might be somewhere else."

Seattle manager Eric Wedge liked what he saw in Bonderman Friday.

"He was putting the ball on the ground all day," Wedge said. "He had a couple of nice sliders and he was throwing for strikes."

Tommy Hanson, 13-10 with a 4.48 ERA with Atlanta in 2012, is a fixture in the Angels' revamped rotation this year after he was acquired for reliever Jordan Walden over the off-season.

Hanson made his third spring start. He allowed two hits and three earned runs in four innings and also gave up a solo homer to Justin Smoak, his third of the spring.

"I was still a little bit up in the zone," said Hanson, adding that both the homers he allowed came off of sliders. "I made a few adjustments during the game. I still feel that I have some work to do but I'm not being impatient."

Los Angeles' Peter Bourjos hit his second spring homer off Andrew Carraway, a solo shot in the sixth.

NOTES: Angels possible closer Ernesto Frieri worked a scoreless inning Friday against Seattle and told reporters that he is comfortable with his changeup. "I feel comfortable enough to use it behind in the count," said Frieri, who electrified the Angels' bullpen last year by not allowing a run from May 2 through July 8 (24 appearances) and held a 0.71 ERA on July 8." Frieri then struggled with ERAs of 4.50 in July and 5.23 in August. He came to camp to work on an offspeed pitch and could return as the Angels' closer with free-agent acquisition Ryan Madson still on the mend. "If he can add a dimension, that's going to put him in a different group," manager Mike Scioscia said. Frieri said: "I always tried to throw a changeup but every time I tried it, I showed it." ... The Mariners trimmed their roster to 47 players Friday by sending infielders Alex Lidd and Stefen Romero and catchers Ronny Paulino and John Hicks to their minor league camp.

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