Mariners still can’t solve Lackey

SEATTLE – John Lackey was dominant. He was nasty. He was just plain sick.

Yes, he really was.

Lackey, pitching with a possible case of strep throat severe enough to cause the Angels to form a Plan B in case he couldn’t start, made the Mariners feel ill with his second straight seven-hit shutout against them, helping Los Angeles beat Seattle 6-0 Monday night to increase its lead in the A.L. West to three games.

“I was feeling weaker as the game went on,” Lackey said through team spokesman Eric Kay, who relayed the comment moments before Lackey shuffled with an ashen face through the clubhouse, tossed a sheet of pills into his locker and headed into the bathroom having joined Boston’s Josh Beckett and Tim Wakefield as the major leagues’ only 16-game winners.

The burly right-hander wasn’t up to facing a line of questioners, but he was certainly up to mowing down a Seattle lineup that had been averaging nearly 5 1/2 runs per game while going 15-8 this month.

The burly right-hander wasn’t up to facing a line of questioners after facing down a Seattle lineup that had been scoring nearly 5 1/2 runs per game while going 15-8 this month. It was Lackey’s 10th career complete game and seventh shutout.

Garret Anderson supported his ailing teammate with a home run and three RBIs.

Lackey (16-8) struck out five and walked none while using his two-seam fastball more than usual to improve to 3-0 against the Mariners this season. He hasn’t allowed a run in 24 innings against the Mariners and all 18 of Seattle’s hits against Lackey this year have been singles.

And the Mariners are likely to see him one more time, because after this series ends Wednesday, these teams will play four times in Anaheim from Sept. 20-23.

“We need to figure that guy out if we are to get anywhere,” said Miguel Batista, who allowed six runs and a season high-tying 10 hits in six innings.

Seattle lost its third consecutive game, but remained two games ahead of the Yankees in the wild-card standings. New York lost 16-0 at Detroit.

“That was an incredible effort by John,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.

“We didn’t have a blood-pressure cuff on him or anything like that. But (pitching coach) Mike Butcher was watching him very closely.”

Catcher Jeff Mathis, who also caught Lackey’s seven-hitter in Seattle on July 31, said he didn’t call the game any differently because his pitcher was sick – though he admitted talking to Lackey only through his mask or with his mitt in front of his face.

“With a guy like him, it doesn’t matter. … That’s his mentality,” Mathis said. “He wants the ball when we need a big win.”

Batista (13-10) has allowed 14 runs – all earned – over eight innings in his last two starts.

Mariners manager John McLaren wasn’t around to see much of the game. Third-base umpire Jerry Meals ejected him nine minutes after the first pitch after a disputed, swinging third strike on Ichiro Suzuki.

Anderson sent the second pitch of the second inning from Batista into the bleachers for his 10th home run.