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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Since returning from a potential career-ending
injury, Woody Williams has been outstanding.
|  | | Padres pitcher Woody Williams throws against the Texas Rangers in the second inning Friday. Williams won for the first time since having surgery on an aneurysm in May. |
Williams pitched seven strong innings for his first win since
returning from surgery on an aneurysm, leading the San Diego Padres
to a 4-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday night.
Williams (4-2) made his third start since missing nearly two
months after surgery to repair an aneurysm under his right armpit
on May 4.
"He pitched a heck of a game," teammate Phil Nevin said.
"It's such a great lift to have him back."
Williams was working on a four-hitter through seven innings and
looked like he might pitch San Diego's first complete game of the
season. But a leadoff walk to Carlos Guillen in the eighth ended
Williams' night.
"Woody was outstanding," Padres manager Bruce Bochy said.
"But after the walk, he had gone far enough. He didn't want to
come out."
Williams received early support with a 4-0 lead after two
innings. The Padres' defense also turned two double plays in the
first three innings.
"It's definitely nice when you look up and it's 4-0," Williams
said. "It's a big relief. You don't have to be perfect."
Williams allowed one run and struck out five with three walks. "Wins are luck a lot of the time," Williams said. "You give
up one run and lose. My goal is to pitch nine innings every start."
Since coming back from surgery and the uncertainty that existed
when the ailment was first diagnosed, Williams has been on top of
his game.
Although he received no decisions in his first two starts back,
Williams pitched well each time as he kept the Padres in both
games.
"He pitches with intensity and they (teammates) feed off it,"
Bochy said.
The only run Williams allowed came on John Mabry's bad-hop
double in the seventh inning. After a two-out walk to Jay Buhner,
Mabry lined a ball toward center fielder Ruben Rivera. As Rivera
went to field the ball, it took a bad bounce to his right, allowing
Buhner to score from first base.
"I thought he threw the ball real well," Buhner said. "He was
getting the ball over for strikes. He did a real good job of
getting into a groove and staying in it."
Williams beat the Mariners for the first time in eight career
starts after coming in with an 0-5 record against them.
Trevor Hoffman got three outs for his 23rd save in 26 chances.
Nevin provided Williams with all the runs he needed on a two-run
double in the first.
Eric Owens led off the inning with a single and Al Martin
walked. Nevin then grounded a double off Aaron Sele (11-4) into the
left-field bullpen to score two runs.
The Padres added two runs in the second when Rivera led off with
a single and scored on Damian Jackson's triple. Williams followed
with an RBI single.
Williams helped his own cause with two outstanding defensive
plays, including spearing a line drive off the bat of Stan Javier
in the sixth.
Sele had his four-game winning streak snapped. Sele, 9-1 in his
previous 11 starts, allowed four runs on six hits in five innings.
The right-hander struck out seven and walked two.
Game notes
Williams has pitched into the eighth inning in each of his
three starts since coming off the disabled list July 2. ... The
Mariners had their club-record streak of 11 consecutive winning
series snapped as they dropped two of three games to San Diego. ...
Of Nevin's last 28 hits, 16 have gone for extra bases (12 doubles,
four homers). ... Seattle LF and leadoff hitter Rickey Henderson
missed his second straight game after he was hit on the left elbow
in Thursday's loss. Mabry, who replaced Henderson, made his first
start since June 23.
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