Mariners 6, Rangers 2
ARLINGTON, Texas, Jul 17 — The Seattle Mariners handed a four-game sweep to the Texas Rangers on Sunday afternoon by a final score of 6–2. Marcus Semien and Corey Seager both had key hits, but they just couldn’t put up a fight against the seemingly unstoppable Mariners, who finish the first half of the season with a 14-game winning streak. It’s the first time in MLB history that such a feat has been accomplished. The Rangers, meanwhile, have gone 5–5 on their final home stand before the break. The Rangers enter the All-Star break on a four-game losing streak. It marks the club’s longest heading into the break since 2014 (0–8).
Semien Goes Deep
Both teams stayed out of the run column until the top of the third inning. Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien broke the seal with his 13th home run of the year. That gave the Rangers a 1–0 lead. Incidentally, this home run came on a 3-0 pitch. It marked the third time in Semien’s career that he belted a home run on a 3-0 pitch. The Rangers scored their second run of the afternoon on a single by Corey Seager that drove in Meibrys Viloria. With this base hit, Seager extended his current hitting streak to ten games. He’ll carry that and his 22 home runs over to next week, when the Rangers open the second half of the season against the Miami Marlins on July 21st.
Mariners Sweep Rangers
The Mariners got on the board in the top of the fourth inning. A two-run home run by catcher Cal Raleigh put Seattle ahead by a score of 2–1. Neither team would score until the top of the seventh inning. A solo home run by first baseman Ty France made it 3–1 in favor of Seattle. Later that inning, the Mariners would add two more in their sweep of the Rangers. A two-run double by outfielder Julio Rodriguez made it 5–1 Seattle. Adam Frazier also scored on the play. For their final run of the afternoon, it was France once again. He drove in Rodriguez with a single to center field off of Rangers reliever Garrett Richards.
Pitching Notes
Right-hander Glenn Otto was the starting pitcher for the Rangers on Sunday afternoon. He pitched six inning, allowing three earned runs on five hits. Two of those hits were home runs. Otto also walked one, and struck out four. Despite taking the loss, it was still a respectable outing for Otto. It was his third quality start of the season. His record for 2022 now sits at 4–6, with an ERA of 5.40. His six losses ties him with teammates Dane Dunning and Taylor Hearn. The Rangers also used Garrett Richards, Dennis Santana, Jose Leclerc, and Brock Burke out of the bullpen. None of them pitched more than an inning.
Lefty Ryan Borucki got the winning decision for the Mariners. He pitched an inning and a third in relief of Chris Flexen, who took a no-decision after pitching 3 2/3 innings, in which he allowed one run on four hits. Borucki walked two, and struck out one in his outing. With the win, Borucki’s record for 2022 moves to 2–0, with an ERA of 4.74. There was no save recorded in this game.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
Players Mentioned:
Marcus Semien, Corey Seager, Meibrys Viloria, Cal Raleigh, Ty France, Julio Rodriguez, Adam Frazier, Garrett Richards, Glenn Otto, Dane Dunning, Taylor Hearn, Dennis Santana, Jose Leclerc, Brock Burke, Ryan Borucki, Chris Flexen
