SEATTLE (Ticker) -- After overcoming some early struggles of his own, Jamie Moyer kept the Anaheim Angels scuffling.
Moyer gave up four hits in seven innings and John Olerud knocked in two runs as the Seattle Mariners opened the home portion of their schedule with a 5-0 triumph over the Angels.
Coming off an ineffective outing at Oakland six days ago, Moyer (1-1) looked like he might be in for another long day after throwing 25 pitches in the first inning and 39 through the first two frames.
But the 40-year-old crafty lefthander settled and down and limited the Angels to three singles and a double. He walked one and struck out seven and departed after throwing 75 of 117 pitches for strikes.
"I think (Mariners manager Bob Melvin) probably did make the right decision," Moyer said. "I mean, where do you draw the line. Is it 110 (pitches), 115, 120, 125? My goal is not necessarily to pitch a complete game, it's to pitch the whole season."
"We didn't pressure him at all," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "I think he really got comfortable out there and started making pitches. But, I've seen him start off shaky and find it, so I don't know if you can read him right away on how his day is going to go."
Olerud came through with the game's biggest hit, delivering a two-run double in the fifth inning off Ramon Ortiz (1-1) that gave the Mariners a 3-0 lead.
Ortiz (1-1) surrendered five runs - three earned - and eight hits in four-plus innings. The righthander walked two and struck out three.
Garret Anderson had two hits for the defending world champion Angels, who have lost four straight and are off to a 2-5 start. Last season, the Angels started 3-8 before rebounding to win their first World Series in club history.
"It's probably a little frustrating right now," Angels catcher Bengie Molina said. "But at the same time we all know it's early. And if you're going to make mistakes, you are better off making them now, so then later on we don't make them. But it is always good to start off on the right foot and we haven't done that."
The Angels squandered an opportunity to break on top in the opening inning. Moyer hit Darin Erstad with a pitch with one out and, after Tim Salmon popped out, Anderson doubled. But Moyer got Troy Glaus to ground out to shortstop to end the inning.
"He was locating and changing speeds," Salmon said. "He was his normal self. It seems that if he can't get his offspeed stuff in the location he had today, you are going to swing the bats good against him. He was locating it and throwing his pitches on the corners."
Moyer immediately settled down in the second, retiring the side in order with a pair of strikeouts.
Like Moyer, Oritz also worked out of trouble in the first but he was not as fortunate in the third.
Dan Wilson led off the bottom of the third with a single and Ichiro Suzuki was hit by a pitch. After Randy Winn struck out, Mark McLemore, who started at designated hitter in place of Edgar Martinez (hamstring), stroked an RBI single into center field.
Ortiz hit Olerud with a pitch to load the bases but induced Bret Boone to bounce into an inning-ending double play.
In the fourth, the Mariners stranded a pair of runners but they scored four times in the fifth, getting some help from the Angels along the way.
Winn bunted his way on to start the inning and McLemore singled. Olerud battled to a 3-2 count and on the seventh pitch, he ripped a two-run double into the right field corner, giving the Mariners a 3-0 lead.
"It was a good hit for me," Olerud said. "I hit a changeup."
Olerud went to third on a single by Boone. Mike Cameron followed by hitting a slow roller to third that Scott Spiezio threw wild to the plate, allowing Olerud to score. Ortiz picked up the loose ball and threw it past Spiezio at third and Boone scored to make it 5-0.
Spiezio was in the game in place of Troy Glaus, who left in the top of the second with a tight left hamstring.
The Angels had their last scoring opportunity in the sixth when they put two runners in scoring position with two outs. But Moyer got Spiezio to foul out to end the inning.
Moyer gave up a two-out single in the eighth to Molina and it appeared manager Bob Melvin was going to pull him. Melvin stayed with Moyer, who got Eric Owens to fly out to end the inning.
