Rangers Lose To Mariners

SEATTLE — After what Seattle manager Lloyd McClendon called “one of his better performances of the year,” Mariners starter Felix Hernandez shrugged and had little interest in talking about his own exploits.

But when the subject turned to teammate Nelson Cruz, Hernandez flashed an awestruck expression.

“Unbelievable,” he said. “He’s amazing. I’m glad he’s on our side.”

Cruz hit his 33rd home run of the season, extending his hitting streak to 19 games in the process, while Hernandez pitched seven quality innings to lead the Mariners to a 4-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Sunday.

“I don’t know where we’d be without him,” McClendon said after Cruz’s leadoff homer in the sixth gave Seattle a 4-2 lead. “He’s been tremendous. … It’s unbelievable what he’s accomplished this year. You look up the (statistics on the score)board, and it’s almost jaw-dropping.”

Hernandez has been nearly as impressive, so much so that McClendon didn’t shy away from any Cy Young talk after his latest performance. Hernandez needed 50 pitches to get through the first two innings but still found a way to pitch seven innings on a day when the Seattle bullpen had only two available arms.

“His command just wasn’t there, but it was probably one of his better performances of the year, if you look at what he was up against — and what we were up against,” McClendon said.

Hernandez (14-6) allowed two runs on six hits over seven innings to earn his third win in

three starts against Texas this year. He carried a 12-21 career record against the Rangers into the season.

“In the middle innings, it got away from us,” said Texas manager Jeff Banister, who got thrown out of the game for arguing balls and strikes in the eighth. “But we also know (Hernandez) is going to get stronger after the game goes on. We got to their bullpen and came up short.”

A two-run homer by first baseman Jesus Montero gave the Mariners a 3-2 lead in the fourth. It was Montero’s second home run of the season.

Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor had given e Texas a 1-0 lead with an RBI double in the second, then a Hernandez wild pitch brought in right fielder Shin-Soo Choo from third base as the Rangers went ahead 2-0 in the third.

Seattle got a run back in the bottom of the third, when the Mariners’ first hit of the game was an RBI single from rookie center fielder Ketel Marte.

One inning later, after second baseman Robinson Cano lined into a double play to clear the bases, left fielder Seth Smith hit a two-out single to right to set up Montero’s two-run shot. That gave Seattle its first lead of the game, at 3-2.

Cruz then led off the sixth with a towering home run to left field. He hammered a Colby Lewis pitch 410 feet, extending his hitting streak to a career-best 19 games. Cruz has had an extra-base hit in nine consecutive games.

“The only thing I care about is winning games,” Cruz said.

The Rangers (55-55) had a chance to tie or take the lead in both the eighth and ninth innings, but they stranded four runners over those two frames. Texas got a leadoff walk and a one-out single off reliever Fernando Rodney in the eighth, but the Rangers couldn’t capitalize on that. Odor led off the ninth with an infield single, then Choo got hit by a pitch to put two runners on with two outs. But designated hitter Prince Fielder grounded to second base on the first pitch he saw to end the game.

Seattle closer Carson Smith earned his 12th save of the season after getting through the ninth.

Lewis (12-5) lost for only the second time since May, despite pitching an eight-inning complete game. He allowed four runs, three earned, off five hits.

“I felt that Colby really threw the ball well,” Banister said.

Fielder, who was 0-for-17 against Hernandez entering the game, had hits in each of his first two at-bats and went 2-for-3. Odor went 2-for-3 with an RBI double and finished off the Seattle series with seven hits in 12 at-bats.

Seattle (52-60) had just five hits Sunday while winning its second consecutive series — the first time the Mariners have done that since taking a pair of road series from San Diego and Boston in late June and early July.

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