Adolis Garcia and Evan Carter hit back-to-back home runs in the fourth inning and the Texas Rangers went on to defeat the Seattle Mariners 5-1 on Wednesday night in Arlington, Texas, reclaiming first place in the American League West.
Reliever Jonathan Hernandez (1-0) earned the victory as three members of the Rangers’ bullpen allowed only one hit in a combined 4 1/3 scoreless innings.
Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller (3-2), who had allowed just one earned run in winning his previous three starts, struggled with his command and lasted just four-plus innings. He gave up two runs on four hits, with four walks and five strikeouts.
The Mariners scored in the top of the first as Josh Rojas, leading off with J.P. Crawford a late scratch because of right oblique soreness, tripled to center. Rojas scored later in the inning on Mitch Haniger’s groundout.
The Rangers got to Miller in the fourth. With one out, Garcia lined a 3-1 sinker to straightaway center that went just over the glove of a leaping Julio Rodriguez at the wall. Garcia stopped running after passing first base as he was unsure if Rodriguez, who crumpled on the warning track, had made the catch. Carter then hit an 0-1 splitter just over the wall in right-center to put the Rangers up 2-1.
Texas tacked on two runs in the sixth. With one out, Josh Smith was hit by a pitch from Tayler Saucedo, who was relieved by Tyson Miller. Wyatt Langford lined a single to right, sending Smith to third. Jonah Heim hit an RBI single to right, and Haniger misplayed the ball down the line. The error allowed Langford to score from first to make it 4-1.
Carter hit an RBI triple to right in the seventh to cap the scoring.
Rangers starter Jon Gray pitched well but was pulled after throwing 92 pitches in 4 2/3 innings. The right-hander gave up one run on seven hits, with one walk and seven strikeouts.
Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, who had homered in four of the previous five games, was unavailable after undergoing dental surgery earlier in the day to remove a tooth.
–Field Level Media
