Seventh-inning meltdown costly in Angels' 9-4 loss to Mariners The Angels missed a chance to move one game closer to a playoff spot on Thursday, their bullpen melting down during a four-run seventh inning that helped the Seattle Mariners to a 9-4 victory at Angel Stadium on Thursday afternoon Oakland lost in Texas earlier Thursday, and a win would have moved the Angels to within one game of the Athletics for the second American League wild-card spot with six games left. Instead, the Angels, who had their five-game winning streak snapped, remain two games behind the A's. The Angels also fell six games behind the Rangers in the AL West, so with one more Texas win or one more Angels loss, the Angels will be eliminated from the division race. Shortstop Erick Aybar's fifth-inning error, a play on which he failed to catch a throw from first baseman Kendrys Morales on Dustin Ackley's fielder's-choice grounder, allowed Seattle to score the go-ahead run in the fifth inning. But the Angels were still within striking distance, trailing, 3-2, before the disastrous seventh inning, which Michael Saunders opened with an infield single off left-hander Nick Maronde. Angels Manager Mike Scioscia summoned hard-throwing Garrett Richards, who struck out the side in his last appearance against the Mariners on Tuesday night. The right-hander was nowhere near as effective Thursday. Brendan Ryan's sacrifice bunt put runners on second and third with one out, and Ackley was walked intentionally to load the bases. Richards then walked Trayvon Robinson to force in a run, gave up an RBI single to Kyle Seager, a sacrifice fly to Jesus Montero and an RBI double to John Jaso, a quick-strike rally that gave Seattle a 7-2 lead. Richards was pulled for Jordan Walden, who got Justin Smoak to fly to center field to end the inning. The Angels scored twice in the eighth inning when Albert Pujols doubled, Alberto Callaspo walked and Howie Kendrick hit a two-run double, but the Mariners countered with two runs in the ninth, one on a throwing error by Angels reliever LaTroy Hawkins and one on Montero's RBI double. Starter Dan Haren gave the Angels 5 1/3 solid innings, giving up three runs -- two earned -- and six hits, striking out three and walking none. The Angels took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on Vernon Wells" RBI single, but the Mariners took a 2-1 lead in the fourth when Franklin Gutierrez singled and Jaso hit a two-out, two-run homer to right field. The Angels tied the score in the bottom of the fourth inning when Morales doubled to right and scored on Callaspo's single to left-center field. After Seattle took a 3-2 lead in the fifth, Morales doubled to open the sixth but was stranded when Callaspo lined out to second while Kendrick and Aybar grounded out. Gutierrez, the Mariners center fielder, also stifled a potential Angels rally in the fifth inning when, with a runner on first, he raced to the gap in right-center field and caught Mike Trout's drive before slamming into the wall and falling to the warning track.