Rangers pound M’s all night, Vazquez blast in 8th for win
Arlington, TX - Ramon Vazquez crushed a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning to lead the Texas Rangers to a 7-6 victory over the Mariners as Seattle closer J.J. Putz blew his first save since last season.
ANOTHER TOMMY MAC PIZZA PLAY WINNER TEXAS +105 MONEY!
Kenny Lofton went 2-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored and three RBI while Michael Young had two hits for the Rangers, who completed a four-game sweep.
Texas starter Brandon McCarthy went five innings, allowing three runs on eight hits. Despite yielding two runs on three hits, Joaquin Benoit (4-3) was credited with the victory.
Adrian Beltre belted three doubles and knocked in four runs while Ichiro Suzuki had two hits and scored twice for the slumping Mariners, who have lost six straight, matching a season-high.
Miguel Batista started for Seattle and was charged with five runs on eight hits in six innings. The loss went to Putz (1-1), who came into the game with 31 consecutive saves in as many chances dating back to last season, including all 29 this year.
“He’s (Putz) only human. It doesn’t matter how good you are, things can turn in a hurry,” said Texas manager Ron Washington.
Trailing by two runs in the eighth, Seattle plated three runs in the inning to take the lead. Jose Lopez singled with one out off Frank Francisco and Benoit came into the game. Pinch-hitter Ben Broussard greeted Benoit with a double and after Suzuki flied out, Beltre plated two runs with a double to tie the game. Raul Ibanez then put the Mariners in front at 6-5 with a two-base hit.
Marlon Byrd led off the home half of the eighth with a base hit and George Sherrill came into the game and got Frank Catalanotto out on a sacrifice bunt. Putz was then summoned from the bullpen and struck out Gerald Laird. Vazquez then crushed a two-run homer to center to put the Rangers in front by a run.
“I was looking middle-in and trying to pull the ball. I got the pitch I wanted,” explained Vazquez.
Benoit stayed in the game in the ninth and kept Seattle off the board as Texas held on for the victory.
Back-to-back doubles by Catalanotto and Laird gave Texas a 1-0 edge in the second inning.
Seattle tied the game in the third as Beltre’s two-base hit to left plated Suzuki, who legged out an infield single and then stole second.
In the home half of the third, Lofton launched a two-run homer that just cleared the wall in right to make it 3-1.
The Mariners plated two runs in the fifth to even the score. Yuniesky Betancourt started things with a base hit and Suzuki followed with a double. Beltre’s groundout brought in Betancourt and a wild pitch by McCarthy allowed Suzuki to score to make it 3-3.
Texas answered with two runs in the bottom of the fifth to regain its two-run lead. Vazquez walked and with one out, advanced all the way to third on back- to-back wild pitches by Batista. Lofton then lined a base hit up the middle to make Batista pay. Young kept things going with a single and Mark Teixeira’s double brought home Lofton to make it 5-3.
Game Notes
Texas ended 4-for-10 with runners in scoring position…The Mariners have lost six straight on three different occasions this season…Seattle had 15 hits while the Rangers finished with 12.
