Rangers Beat Mariners

SEATTLE — For the second day in a row, a Texas Rangers rookie had a memorable major league debut Monday.

Catcher Brett Nicholas contributed a pair of hits and helped veteran right-hander Colby Lewis quiet the Seattle bats in Texas’ 7-3 win over the Mariners.

Nicholas, who was playing in front of his 92-year-old grandfather, Frank McCabe, went 2-for-4 while scoring two runs.

“It’s special, most importantly the team win,” said Nicholas, 26, after a game in which the Rangers piled up 14 hits. “To be able to get a couple of knocks and help this team win a ballgame, it’s a dream come true.”

Nicholas threw out the Mariners’ first baserunner trying to steal and helped call a game that saw Lewis (1-0) allow just four hits and one run over six innings.

“It was, all in all, a real professional experience for Brett Nicholas,” manager Jeff Banister said.

Fellow rookie Nomar Mazara, who collected three hits Sunday in his debut, went 2-for-4 with an RBI. He is now 5-for-8 with two RBIs in two games.

Rougned Odor and Prince Fielder combined to drive in five runs as the Rangers (4-4) extended their winning streak to three games.

“That’s my job,” Fielder said, “to produce runs.”

Seattle (2-5) has scored just seven runs over the first four games of

the current homestand, all losses.

“We’ve struggled to get consistent, quality at-bats,” first-year manager Scott Servais said. “What are you going to do? Just have to be patient until we come out of it.”

Mariners designated hitter Nelson Cruz hit his second home run of the season, a two-run shot in the eighth inning. He drove in all three of Seattle’s runs.

Fielder drove in runs with a third-inning sacrifice fly and a seventh-inning single, while Odor broke the game open with a two-run, bases-loaded single in the eighth.

All nine Texas starting position players reached base. Ryan Rua had three hits, while Mazara, Nicholas, Odor and Elvis Andrus had two hits apiece.

“Whenever the other pitchers were making mistakes, that’s when we hit,” Fielder said.

Mariners starter Hisashi Iwakuma (0-1) allowed three runs on eight hits over six innings.

“I did struggle with my command,” he said through an interpreter after the game. “Some of the balls that were hits were up in the zone. Some weren’t hit hard, but they still made me pay for it.”

Seattle jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a Cruz RBI double in the first inning but trailed 4-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh. Two Mariners singles sandwiched around a walk loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh, but Texas reliever Sam Dyson got out of that jam when Nori Aoki grounded out to first.

RBIs from Andrus, Fielder and Odor allowed the Rangers to take a 3-1 lead through the first four innings.

The Rangers tied the game on a two-out, RBI single from Andrus in the second. Andrus’ bloop single to right field scored Ian Desmond from second base.

Texas added another run in the third, taking a 2-1 lead on a sacrifice fly from Fielder.

Odor’s double in the fourth scored Mitch Moreland from second base and extended the Rangers’ advantage to 3-1.