ANAHEIM -- It all started so promisingly, with a three-run Mitch Haniger homer before the Mariners recorded their first out.
But Seattle's hot start on a warm Southern California night quickly became moot as the Angels rallied for a 9-3 victory despite losing standout starter Garrett Richards to a right forearm issue in the third inning.
"He was kind of missing his spots in the first, so it was a good time to be aggressive," Haniger said. "Unfortunately, we couldn't put any more runs up on the board. I thought we still did a good job of just battling, but we never really got anything going. It was a tough one tonight."
The Mariners went 6-3 vs. the Angels in three Safeco Field series, but stubbed their toe in the first of 10 games against the Halos on their home turf over the final three months.
The loss dropped Seattle to 57-35, now four back of the Astros in the American League West, but still six ahead of the A's for the AL's second Wild Card spot after Houston beat Oakland in 11 innings. The Angels are still clinging to hope at 47-45, 10 back of Seattle.
Seattle has still won 10 of its last 14 games, but the four losses have come over the last six outings after an eight-game win streak.

Haniger hammered the first pitch he saw since being named to his first AL All-Star team on Sunday evening, giving him 18 homers and 65 RBIs -- second most in the AL -- on the year. But that was all the Mariners could muster against six Angels hurlers.
Haniger went 2-for-4, adding a double in the eighth, but the Mariners managed just three other hits after their first-inning flurry.
Mike Leake (8-6, 4.36 ERA) struggled in his second straight start against the Halos, giving up 11 hits and seven runs (five earned) in four innings. In back-to-back starts vs. Angels, Leake has allowed 20 hits and 11 runs (eight earned) in eight frames.
"I was leaving some pitches elevated and some balls were finding holes," Leake said. "They've been aggressive the last couple games."
The top three hitters in the Angels' order -- Kole Calhoun, Andrelton Simmons and Michael Trout -- combined to go 8-for-13 with four runs, four RBIs, a double and two walks.
"Pitching-wise, it was not our night," Mariners manager Scott Servais said. "Mike had a tough time getting the ball down and keeping it out of the middle of the zone. It's been a couple of rough outings for him. He had such a long stretch where he was really on top of it and so consistent with six or seven innings every time out. We've got to get him back on track. He's a really important part of our rotation and pitching here going forward."
SOUND SMART
Jose Pujols' two-run homer off Leake in the fourth was the 628th of his career. He needs two more to tie Ken Griffey Jr. for sixth on MLB's all-time list.
YOU GOTTA SEE THIS
After all the times Trout has robbed the Mariners with outstanding catches in center field over the years, Guillermo Heredia flipped the script and hauled in a Trout drive at the top of the wall in the bottom of the eighth. Trout's drive was projected at 402 feet with an 84-percent hit probability by Statcast™, but it died in Heredia's glove.

"G is really good in the outfield," Servais said. "Sometimes you start to take it for granted. That was a really good play out there."
HE SAID IT
"You get the feeling they're on his pitches. He didn't really have enough to slow them down. They're on him. He's faced them in back-to-back outings and they have a good read for what he's trying to do against them." -- Servais, on Leake's outing
UP NEXT
Marco Gonzales (9-5, 3.64 ERA) faces Angels right-hander Jaime Barria (5-5, 3.39) in Wednesday's 7:07 p.m. PT game at Angel Stadium. This will be Gonzales' fourth time facing the Angels in the past nine weeks and second time in a row. He's coming off a 4-1 win in which he allowed five hits and one run in six innings. He's 1-0 with a 4.24 ERA in the three meetings, all at Safeco.