Rangers Get Balk-Off Win In Seattle
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SEATTLE — The Texas Rangers went extra innings to maintain their slim, two-game lead atop the AL West on Tuesday night, when it took 10 innings and a controversial balk call to beat the Seattle Mariners 4-3.
A one-out balk on Mariners closer Danny Farquhar in the top of the 10th inning brought home the winning run from third base as Seattle (59-72) extended its losing streak to five games. Ian Kinsler stole third base, then came home when Farquhar was called for the balk.
Home plate umpire CB Bucknor called the balk even though it appeared Farquhar’s only move was the shake of his head as catcher Humberto Quintero called a pitch. Farquhar (0-2) vehemently argued the call before getting the final two outs.
Texas closer Joe Nathan gave up a single and a walk in the bottom of the 10th but went on to earn his 38th save of the season.
Rangers reliever Tanner Scheppers pitched Texas out of a jam in the bottom of the ninth inning, when he came on with no outs and runners on first and second and retired three consecutive batters to send the game into extra innings. Scheppers (6-2) earned his first win in more than
two months after going 5-0 through his first 34 appearances.
The Mariners came up short after a promising start in the ninth inning. Back-to-back singles by Michael Saunders and Dustin Ackley with no outs chased reliever Neal Cotts from the game. Scheppers came on and induced a bunt pop-out to Humberto Quintero before striking out the next two batters to send the game into extra innings.
Saunders got another chance to be the hero in the bottom of the 10th, when he came up with two outs and runners on first and second, but he grounded into the game-ending out.
Both starting pitchers had some early struggles but settled down to get through six innings without factoring into the decision.
Seattle’s Hisashi Iwakuma allowed three earned runs off seven hits while striking out seven. He retired 13 of the final 15 batters he faced after Texas tagged him for three runs in the second inning.
Texas starter Derek Holland also allowed three earned runs, matching his highest total in five August starts. He gave up six hits while walking four and striking out five.
The score was tied 3-3 when both starters gave way to relievers to start the seventh inning, and it stayed that way until Kinsler came in to score the game-winner in the top of the 10th.
Kinsler went 4-for-5 and is hitting .367 over his past 13 games.
Ackley had three hits for Seattle, including the ninth-inning single after his bunt attempt popped up in the air and over a charging Cotts to land safely near the mound.
Seattle is now 0-5 since manager Eric Wedge returned from a 27-game hiatus to recover from a July 22 stroke.
The Mariners jumped on Holland, scoring twice despite just one hit in the first inning. Two walks and a one-out, RBI double by Kendrys Morales pushed the first run across before Justin Smoak’s sacrifice fly put Seattle ahead 2-0.
Iwakuma ran into his own problems in the top of the second inning, when four hits and a walk led to three Texas runs. Alex Rios started the rally with a one-out double. RBI singles from Mitch Moreland, David Murphy and Elvis Andrus put the Rangers ahead, 3-2.
Seattle’s Franklin Gutierrez led off the third inning with his sixth home run of the season, to tie the score at 3-3.
With Gutierrez’s home run, the Mariners had scored as many runs — three — as Holland had allowed in any of his previous four starts in August.
