BASEBALL : DAILY REPORT : ANGELS

There was no Ken Griffey in the Mariner lineup for the first time this season. Ken Griffey Sr., a platoon player, sat out against left-hander Jim Abbott, and Ken Griffey Jr., also a left-hander, was given the night off, his first of the season.

The Angels retained their AL batting lead with a .283 average, and are fifth with a 3.28 earned-run average. But it was the pitching that sparkled recently, giving the team a 1.60 ERA over the past five games through Sunday. . . . Angel relievers entered Monday’s game with a 1.60 ERA, were scored upon only three times in 12 appearances, and gave up only one home run in 33.2 innings. Sunday’s 2-1 loss was the Angel’s first one-run loss in 12 games. Last season, the team lost 21 games by one-run, winning 23 by that margin.