Seattle ready to sweep weekend under the rug

SEATTLE — Heading into the weekend series between the Mariners and Angels at Safeco Field, logic would say that Seattle, riding high in first place in the American League West, needed to sweep the struggling visitors to legitimize its standing as a serious postseason contender.

There was a sweep, of course, but it was the Angels pulling out the brooms. Sometimes baseball has no logic, and Sunday’s 3-0 loss to the Angels before a crowd of 40,852, spurred on by eight innings of two-hit work by left-hander Hector Santiago, left Seattle back in second place in the division, a half-game behind the Rangers.

Now the Mariners face a flight to the East Coast on Monday’s travel day, but while they could spend the hours staring out at the clouds and wondering how all three winnable games became losses, they said after Sunday’s quiet matinee that they will simply be in recharge mode.

They seemed to agree that any voyage to October is going to have periods of turbulence, and weathering the adversity is just as vital as enjoying the peaks.

“When things are going well, it’s fun to ride the wave,” manager Scott Servais said. “But it is a long season. You’re going to have bumps in the road. I thought the Angels came …

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