Rangers top Mariners, sit 2 back in West
SEATTLE -- The Rangers gained a game on the first-place Astros with their eighth shutout of the season in a 3-0 victory over the Mariners on Monday afternoon at Safeco Field. The Rangers are back to within two games of the Astros in the American League West, while the Mariners had a five-game winning streak snapped.
Rangers starter Yovani Gallardo earned his fifth victory by holding the Mariners scoreless for 5 1/3 innings. This is the ninth time this season that Gallardo has pitched at least five innings and not allowed a run. That's the most by a Rangers starter for one season in club history.
"I felt good," Gallardo said. "My last start in San Diego, I was struggling with the command of my fastball and I worked on that between starts trying to find a good rhythm. I was able to do that and move the ball on both sides of the plate."
Video: TEX@SEA: Beltre hits a bases-loaded two-run single
Mariners starter Roenis Elias started his afternoon with five scoreless innings. But the Rangers finally broke through in the sixth inning with a two-run single by Adrian Beltre.
"He was good early on," said Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon of Elias. "I think the at-bat that hurt him was the 0-2 walk to DeShields [with one out in the fifth] and he could really never get it back together after that. He was in trouble after that."
The Rangers had scored just four runs in 31 previous innings before Beltre came through. Beltre was also in a 1-for-16 skid before the single.
Video: TEX@SEA: Beltre discusses the Rangers' 3-0 win
"You don't expect your offense to be in sync all year," Beltre said. "You go through ups and downs. The last 10 games or so are not what we want, but it's nice to create situations where you at least have a chance."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Video: TEX@SEA: Odor scores on a wild pitch
Odor dashes home: Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor is playing with a torn fingernail on the middle finger of his right hand. But he still was willing to dash home and score an extra run in the seventh inning on Rob Rasmussen's wild pitch that bounced only a few feet away from John Hicks. Odor slid in head-first with his right hand extended.
"In that situation, I'm not thinking about my hand," Odor said. "I was ready for a ball in the dirt. I saw it and I ran."
Video: TEX@SEA: Wilson throws out Marte stealing second
Wilson nabs two in one: Rangers catcher Bobby Wilson threw out two attempted basestealers in the first inning. He nailed Ketel Marte trying to steal second after a leadoff single and, with two on and one out, picked off Kyle Seager at second base. The last time a Rangers catcher recorded two caught stealings in one inning was Sept. 19, 2013 when Geovany Soto caught two runners in the second inning against Tampa Bay.
• Faulkner steps up to help Rangers grab key win
Video: TEX@SEA: Rangers get Miller between third and home
Miller misses out on first run: Brad Miller was the lone Mariner to reach third base through the first five innings of the ballgame, but he wasn't there for long. Just five pitches after lacing his fourth triple of the season and with the infield drawn in, Miller broke a few steps toward home as soon as Hicks made contact with one out in the fifth. Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus fielded the hard-hit ball and immediately threw home to Wilson. With Miller too far off third, Wilson chased and threw to Beltre, who ran Miller down to record the second out of the inning and keep a run off the board. More >
Video: TEX@SEA: Marte makes nice stop, starts double play
Marte's magnificent turn: The Rangers had a chance to blow the game wide open with one out in the sixth, but were held to just two runs thanks to a nifty play by Marte. The 21-year-old shortstop quickly slid to stop a hard-hit ball off the bat of Andrus, then spun and threw to second baseman Robinson Cano to start a 6-4-3 double play to end the Texas threat. More >
QUOTABLE
"They all hurt. The fact is we've been playing good baseball, but we'll bounce back from this. Nobody's pulled the curtain on us yet. We're still in there, we're still battling." -- McClendon, on the end of a five-game win streak
Costly Review for Rangers
Video: TEX@SEA: DeShields exits game after caught stealing
The Rangers lost both a replay challenge and center fielder Delino DeShields in the seventh inning. DeShields was thrown out trying to steal third base and jammed his leg sliding into the base. He was helped off the field and replaced on defense in the bottom of the inning. The Ranger challenged the call at third and it was confirmed. DeShields was later diagnosed with a sprained left knee and is considered day-to-day. More >
WHAT'S NEXT
Rangers: Cole Hamels makes his seventh start for the Rangers when he faces the Mariners at 9:10 p.m. CT on Tuesday at Safeco Field. This will be Hamels' third start against the Mariners since being acquired from the Phillies on July 31. He is 0-1 with a 4.85 ERA against them in two starts with the Mariners hitting .313 off him.
Mariners: Right-hander Taijuan Walker (10-7, 4.51 ERA) takes the mound against the Rangers for the third time this season in the second game of a four-game series on Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. PT at Safeco Field. Walker earned a no-decision against the Astros on Wednesday, yielding three earned runs on five hits in 6 2/3 innings in an 8-3 win for Seattle. The Mariners are 13-3 in his last 16 starts.
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