Rangers Lose At Mariners

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SEATTLE — Felix Hernandez battled a sore quadriceps to pitch six solid innings on Saturday night, but when he returned to the dugout, he wasn’t ready to call it a night.

The Seattle Mariners ace, having already thrown 96 pitches, convinced manager Lloyd McClendon to give him one more inning. Hernandez rewarded McClendon’s trust by striking out the side.

The right-hander allowed two hits in seven innings and had 12 strikeouts to help snap Seattle’s four-game losing streak by way of a 3-1 win over the Texas Rangers at Safeco Field.

“He did OK,” McClendon said with a tongue-in-cheek shrug. “If he listens to me, he might have a chance to be pretty good.”

It was McClendon doing the listening between the sixth and seventh innings. Hernandez successfully lobbied to go back out, and he needed only 15 more pitches to get his final three strikeouts.

“I told him I trust him, but I also told him we’re not going to have many of these conversations,” McClendon said.

Asked why it was so important for him to go back out for the seventh, Hernandez quipped, “I think it looks better — seven innings than six.”

Hernandez (2-0) allowed just one run and that came after a controversial hit-by-pitch. He did

enough to overcome an offense that went 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position and almost ran itself out of the game in the early innings.

Texas starter Colby Lewis received help from a Rangers defense that had three putouts on the bases in the first three innings, but he ran out of gas in the sixth. Lewis (1-1) allowed 10 hits and three runs in 5 2/3 innings before leaving with Texas trailing 3-1.

“He made two pitches tonight that cost him,” Texas manager Jeff Banister said.

One of them came on the first pitch of the fifth inning. Mariners catcher Mike Zunino gave Seattle the lead for good at 2-1 with a leadoff homer. Shortstop Brad Miller added a two-out RBI triple in the sixth for a 3-1 lead.

Hernandez then went out and struck out the side in the top of the seventh, ending his night after 111 pitches.

“He was great, considering he was coming off (the quad) injury,” McClendon said. “He still wasn’t 100 percent, but that just goes to show the type of competitor he really is. He battled — and he battled with me (after the sixth).”

Struggling Seattle closer Fernando Rodney came on in the ninth and retired all three batters he faced to post his third save of the season.

Second baseman Robinson Cano, third baseman Kyle Seager and Miller each had two hits for the Mariners. Seattle (4-7) totaled 11 hits.

Texas (5-7) had just two hits while striking out 15 times.

Zunino hit his first home run of the season on the first pitch of the bottom of the fifth. The solo homer put the Mariners ahead 2-1.

Seattle had taken a 1-0 lead on right fielder Seth Smith’s one-out, bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth. Texas matched that in the top of the fifth when left fielder Jake Smolinski scored from third base on an Elvis Andrus groundout to tie the score at 1.

Smolinski reached base on a controversial play. Smolinski was awarded first when he appeared to be hit with a pitch on his fingers with an 0-2 count as he swung the bat. The Mariners thought it should have been ruled a foul ball, but the call stood after umpires looked at a replay.

After a game that saw him hit Adrian Beltre with a first-inning pitch, Hernandez was asked about the two hit-by-pitches charged to him.

“There was only one hit-by-pitch,” he said. “There was only one.”

The Mariners led off each of the first three innings with hits but ended up running themselves out of scoring opportunities.

Leadoff hitter Austin Jackson was thrown out at home trying to score from first on a Cano double in the first, then Seager and Miller were caught stealing in the second and third innings, respectively.

Miller was caught leaning too far off second base, but the out didn’t come until the Rangers issued an instant-replay challenge.

Hernandez pitched himself into and out of trouble in the first before settling into a groove. Rangers center fielder Leonys Martin led off the game with a double and move to third on a sacrifice, but Hernandez was able to get out of that jam.

After hitting Beltre with a pitch with two outs in the first, Hernandez retired 11 of the next 13 batters he faced — seven by way of strikeout — without issuing a hit.

“I can’t say enough; he’s a premier pitcher,” Banister said. “He crowded our hitters with his fastball in, but more than anything, it was the breaking ball that was in play for him tonight. Really, that was the difference.”

Hernandez posted his first win against the Rangers since July 14, 2012.

“Finally, huh?” he said. “A long time.”