ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Angels manager Mike Scioscia bristled at the notion that his team had it easy this year.
The AL West champions won another close game Sunday when Chone Figgins hit an RBI single in the ninth inning Sunday, giving Los Angeles a 4-3 win over Seattle and a four-game sweep.
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The Angels, who clinched the division with 2 1/2 weeks left, have won 21 times in their final bat. Overall, they've played 49 games decided by one run.
"From the first day of spring training to where we are now, nothing about this season has been easy or in any remote sense would be called a walkover," Scioscia said. "I've been with these guys every day, and we've had tough games every night."
"We've played very well and other teams have had some issues. That's probably what's separated us from them in the standings," he said. "We've been fortunate enough to have depth and maintain the high level of play through some injuries, where other clubs have had a little tougher time meeting those challenges."
Seattle has lost eight of 11 following a 7-1 spurt, and are a season-worst 34 1/2 games out of first place. The Mariners have to win six of their final 14 games to avoid their fourth 100-loss season and first since 1983, when they were 60-102 under manager Del Crandall.
Scioscia believes this season was an aberration, and expects the West to be much tougher next season.
"Where you finish one year is really irrelevant as to what your projections will be for the next year," Scioscia said. "A team like Seattle certainly has the ability to jump right back up and be contenders when you look at an Erik Bedard, a Felix Hernandez and a Carlos Silva, who's obviously going to throw the ball much better than he has this year."
Ninth-place hitter Sean Rodriguez tripled just beyond the reach of Ichiro Suzuki with one out in the ninth. Figgins followed with a drive off the right-field wall against Roy Corcoran (5-1) for his third game-ending hit this season.
Seattle manager Jim Riggleman employed a five-man infield against Figgins, with Suzuki as the extra glove stationed in front of second base.
"That was surprising. I don't think Ichiro really wanted to become an infielder, because he was coming in kind of slow," Figgins said. "I was just trying to hit a flyball anywhere. And when you've got a guy like Garret (Anderson) hitting behind me, it's a lot easier to get pitches to hit."
