Texas Rangers Claim Rare Series Win at Mariners

Marcus Semien drove in two runs, Will Smith worked a perfect ninth and Texas Rangers won the series over the Seattle Mariners.

Marcus Semien drove in two runs, Dane Dunning threw six crafty innings and the Texas Rangers won their first series in Seattle in nearly four years with a 4-3 win Wednesday at T-Mobile Park.

The American League West-leading Rangers (22-14) have now played each of their division rivals once and are 8-4 against the foursome, winning each series. Texas also won its first series in Seattle since May 27-29, 2019, a span of nine straight road series.

Marcus Semien continued his hot start to the season with his sixth home run to lead off the third inning. The solo shot tied the game at 1-1. Semien did not hit his first home run last season until late May. 

Semien later drove in another run in the sixth after the Rangers chased Seattle starter Luis Castillo (2-1) from the game. Semien's RBI single, which scored Ezequiel Duran, extended the Rangers' lead to 4-2. 

In between, RBI doubles by both Nathaniel Lowe and Jonah Heim gave the Rangers a two-run lead in the third. 

Semien went 2-for-5 and scored a run, along with his two RBI. Adolis Garcia, Leody Taveras and Josh Smith also had two hits. 

Dunning (3-0) went six innings, one more inning than his first start in place of Jacob deGrom on Friday at the Los Angeles Angels. He gave up two runs, six hits and a walk while striking out five. He left with the Rangers up two runs. 

The bullpen held the lead, though not without a little drama. 

With the Rangers up 4-2 in the bottom of the eighth, Jarred Kelenic tripled home Jose Caballero off Rangers reliever Brock Burke to cut the lead to one. 

Rangers reliever Jonathan Hernández came in, walked the first hitter he faced and had to pitch out of a two-out, two-on jam by striking out Cal Raleigh.

Will Smith worked a perfect ninth for his sixth save as the Rangers closer. 

Castillo lasted just five innings due to a high pitch count (98), giving up eight hits but striking out nine. He was in line for the loss when he left the game. Kelenic was the only Mariners batter with two hits.

The Rangers travel to the Oakland Athletics to start a four-game series Thursday. Nathan Eovaldi (4-2, 3.22) is set to start for the Rangers. The Athletics have not announced their probable starter. The Rangers took two out of three from the Athletics when the division rivals met last month at Globe Life Field. 

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