Rangers Lose To Mariners
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SEATTLE — James Paxton was expecting to be a huge part of the Seattle Mariners’ rotation this season, but injuries left the rookie left-hander mostly watching from afar.
Now that he’s healthy, Paxton is pitching like the phenom he was touted to be while keeping the Mariners in the American League wild-card race.
Paxton threw 6 2/3 shutout innings on Tuesday night, when the Mariners found offense on the way to a 5-0 win over the Texas Rangers.
Paxton (4-1) threw a season-high 118 pitches over 6 2/3 innings, allowing just four hits. Reliever Danny Farquhar finished off the shutout with 2 1/3 hitless innings.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Paxton said of being a part of the rotation after missing three months with shoulder and forearm problems. “We’re playing some important baseball games now, and it’s great to be a part of it.”
Seattle had three extra-base hits over the first four innings, including a solo home run from second baseman Robinson Cano, to take a 5-0 lead. One night earlier, the Rangers shut out the Mariners 2-0.
With the win, the Mariners maintained their half-game lead over the Detroit Tigers for the second AL wild card. Seattle (72-59) also surpassed its win total from the entire 2013 season, when the Mariners went 71-91 under former manager Eric Wedge.
Paxton lowered his season ERA to 1.83 over seven starts. Since making his major league
debut last September, he is 7-1 with a 1.71 ERA over 11 career starts.
“I’m getting closer with each start,” he said. “I feel like my stuff is getting better each time out.”
Texas starter Nick Martinez got roughed up for five runs on six hits and four walks over five innings. Martinez (3-10) has a 5.88 ERA as a starter this season.
Martinez is learning on the fly while pitching for an injury-plagued Texas rotation.
“I’d much rather learn while going 25-0,” he said with a laugh.
The Rangers (51-80) failed in their bid to win on three consecutive days for the first time since late May.
Third baseman Adrian Beltre had two of the Rangers’ four hits, but he also committed his 11th error of the season.
“We had chances to score some runs, but all of it came with two outs,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said. “We couldn’t get it done.”
Cano gave the Mariners a 1-0 lead with a two-out home run in the bottom of the first inning. It was his 12th home run of the year.
Catcher Jesus Sucre hit with a bases-loaded, RBI groundout in the second inning to put Seattle ahead 2-0. Right fielder Endy Chavez drove in two runs with a fourth-inning double, and left fielder Dustin Ackley followed up center fielder Austin Jackson’s two-out triple with an RBI single to give the Mariners a 5-0 lead.
The Rangers threatened in the third inning, but only after a replay review overturned what was originally ruled to be the third out of the inning.
Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus was originally ruled to have grounded into a double play, but after a protest from manager Ron Washington, umpires looked the review and ruled Andrus beat the throw from second base. That kept the inning alive with runners on first and third before right fielder Alex Rios grounded out to end the inning officially.
