Rangers Beat Mariners
{fshare id=6199}
SEATTLE — On a night when star slugger Nelson Cruz got three hits but saw his streak of home runs end after five consecutive games, the Seattle Mariners couldn’t muster much offense in a 3-1 loss to the Texas Rangers.
Texas starter Yovani Gallardo pitched six scoreless innings as the Rangers extended the misery of the Mariners, picked by many to be an American League contender. Seattle (3-7) has now lost four games in a row.
“There’ll be better days,” Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said. “Offensively, we’re a lot better team than we were last year. Guys are just trying to find their way. I think it’ll come — and when it does, it will come fast.”
The Rangers’ Gallardo (2-1) won each of his past two starts. He allowed six hits and two walks but got bailed out by three double plays.
“I felt like I made the pitches whenever I needed to,” Gallardo said. “I got some ground balls, and the guys made plays behind me.”
Designated hitter Prince Fielder’s RBI double in the first inning and a solo homer by catcher Robinson Chirinos in the fifth gave Gallardo a 2-0 lead before he came out of the game two batters into the seventh.
The Mariners led off four of the first seven innings with hits but couldn’t capitalize. Texas used double plays to get out of the second, third and fourth innings, then reliever Shawn Tolleson came on with two runners on and
no one out in the seventh and pitched out of that jam.
“We had a few opportunities,” McClendon said. “We just couldn’t get the big hit.”
After falling behind 2-0, the Mariners finally got on the board on designated hitter Seth Smith’s sacrifice fly in the eighth. That came off Texas reliever Tanner Scheppers, who made his season debut after being activated from the disabled list earlier in the day. Scheppers then gave up a two-out single to Robinson Cano before Cruz, who had homered in each of the previous five games, flew out to left field to end the inning.
Texas closer Neftali Feliz retired all three batters he faced in the ninth to earn his second save of the season. Feliz got some defensive help of his own when right fielder Shin-Soo Choo reached over the wall with his glove to steal a home run from first baseman Logan Morrison for the second out of the inning.
Chirinos went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double and two runs scored. He beat a throw to first place to beat a double play in the ninth inning before scoring the insurance run to put the Rangers (5-6) ahead 3-1.
“He’s a nice player and a fun player to watch,” Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. “We’re glad to have him.”
Fielder went 2-for-3 with the RBI, while first baseman Adam Rosales, a late replacement for injured Mitch Moreland, added an RBI on a single in the top of the ninth.
Seattle starter J.A. Happ was solid in a losing effort. Happ (0-1) gave up two earned runs on five hits over seven innings.
“He was outstanding,” McClendon said. “I thought he did a really nice job for us. He gave us an opportunity to win the ball game.”
The Mariners’ Cruz went 3-for-4 with three singles, ending his streak of five consecutive games with a home run.
Seattle has now failed to score more than two runs in four of its 10 games this season.
Texas is 5-1 when scoring first and 0-5 when opposing team scores first.
Fielder gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead with a one-out RBI double in the first inning.
Chirinos led off the fifth inning with a home run, his second of the season, to put Texas ahead 2-0.
Gallardo opened the game with five scoreless innings. The Mariners loaded the bases with one out in the third inning before Gallardo got out of that scare with an inning-ending double play.
