SEATTLE -- Mariners shortstop Jean Segura was taken out of the Mariners' 12-6 win over the Rangers on Friday in the third inning, with manager Scott Servais saying the All-Star infielder was benched for not running hard on a play at the plate in Seattle's seven-run second.
"Jean is fine," Servais said. "We're going to play hard through the end of the year, and I don't think Jean gave a really good effort trying to score from second and he came out of the game."
Was Segura's removal a message?
"Yes," Servais said.
Will he play on Saturday?
"We'll see," Servais said.
Segura broke things open with a bases-loaded drive to right field that tipped off the glove of right fielder Nomar Mazara, with the two-base error plating three runs. Segura then scored on a single by Robinson Cano, twisting to avoid the tag by catcher Robinson Chirinos.
When the Mariners took the field in the third. Kristopher Negron moved from third base to shortstop, with James Beckham entering the game at third.
Segura is hitting .301 and has a chance to become the eighth Mariner in club history to hit .300 in back-to-back seasons and first since Ichiro Suzuki pulled it off 10 straight years from 2001-10.
The Rangers were generous in helping the Mariners in their seven-run second, as starting pitcher Martin Perez walked four batters and trailed 2-0 before being replaced by Jeffrey Springs, who immediately gave up Segura's bases-clearing error. Seattle totaled just three hits in the frame, but Cameron Maybin drove in the first run with a bases-loaded single and Mitch Haniger followed with a walk to make it 2-0 before Mazara's costly error.
After Cano's run-scoring single, Nelson Cruz made it 7-0 with a double that hiked his season RBI total to 97.
The seven runs equaled Seattle's output in the first inning of a July 29 game at Anaheim that the Mariners won, 8-5.