Mariners Claim Series Victory over Rangers

Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images

September 21, 2024

Mariners 8, Rangers 4

ARLINGTON, Texas (Sep. 21) — The Texas Rangers couldn’t hold on as they lost to the Seattle Mariners, 8–4, on Saturday night in front of a sellout crowd of 39,929. Julio Rodriguez stung them again with his third home run of the series. The Rangers will attempt to avoid the three-game sweep in the final game that they’ll play in Arlington this season on Sunday afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 1:35 pm Central at Globe Life Field. Right-hander Bryan Woo (8–3, 2.85 ERA) will take the hill for the Mariners, while the Rangers will counter with lefty Andrew Heaney (5–14, 3.89 ERA)

Rodriguez Pounces

By the time Rangers righty Dane Dunning threw the second pitch of the game, the Mariners had 1–0 lead. Rodriguez blasted the first pitch of the game out to the seats in right for his 19th homer of the season. The noise from the jeering crowd was so loud at that point that this writer had to step into the press box dining room for a few moments of quiet.

On deck was Cal Raleigh, who singled to center. He was thrown out at second on a force play grounded into by Randy Arozarena. After Luke Raley struck out swinging, Justin Turner moved Arozarena to second with a single to left. On deck was Jorge Polanco, who plated Arozarena with a single to right to give the Mariners a 2–0 lead.

The Rangers tied it up in the bottom of the third against Mariners starter Emerson Hancock. Carson Kelly led off by grounding to short, and Travis Jankowski followed with a double to left. After Marcus Semien flied to left, Josh Smith belted a two-run shot to right to tie it at two. It marked the 13th home run of the season for Smith.

Mariners Respond

The Mariners regained the lead in the top of the sixth off Rangers reliever Andrew Chafin. J.P. Crawford started the frame with a single to left. Up next was Dylan Moore, who reached on a walk. He moved to second on an infield single to short by Josh Rojas, prompting Rangers manager Bruce Bochy to bring in Jose Leclerc to relieve Chafin.

On the next play, Moore crossed the plate on a single to right by Rodriguez. Moments later, Raleigh plated Rojas with a second consecutive single to right. A single to left by Arozarena sent Rodriguez home to stretch the Mariners’ lead to 5–2.

Four-Walk Sixth for Rangers

The Rangers cut the lead to one run in the bottom of the sixth against Mariners reliever Troy Taylor. He issued a free pass to Wyatt Langford to open the inning. Adolis Garcia and Nathaniel Lowe both struck out swinging to follow. On the first pitch to Ezequiel Duran, Langford swiped second for his 16th stolen base of the season. He scored shortly after on a single to center by Duran.

Up next was Leody Taveras, who drew a walk to nudge Duran to second. On deck was Kelly, who also walked to load the bases. Mariners interim manager Dan Wilson called time to bring in Collin Snider to relieve Taylor. The first batter he faced was Jankowski, whom he walked to force in Duran to make it 5–4.

The Mariners scored an insurance run in the top of the ninth off Rangers reliever Walter Pennington. After Leo Rivas struck out swinging to lead off, Polanco doubled to right. Victor Robles entered the game as a pinch-runner for him. Robles quickly stole third and scored on a wild pitch by Pennington. Crawford followed with a triple to center, his second of the campaign.

Moore trotted to first on a hit-by-pitch, and Mitch Haniger was brought in as a pinch-hitter for Rojas. Pennington struck out Haniger swinging before being lifted for Gerson Garabito. Moore stole second for his 31st act of larceny of the year as Rodriguez loomed in the on-deck circle. He drove in Crawford and Moore with a sharp single to left.

What Went Right for the Mariners

As previously mentioned, the Mariners scored on the first pitch of the game thanks to Rodriguez, and he had two more RBI later in the game. Rodriguez also scored a run as part of the Mariners’ victory. He tied his season high with four hits on Saturday. The last time he had four hits in a game was on Tuesday against the New York Yankees. Rodriguez has 13 career four-hit outings, which is the most by a Mariners hitter through his age-23 season, ranking ahead of Alex Rodriguez, who had 11, and Ken Griffey Jr., who had eight.

What Went Wrong for the Mariners

The Mariners’ evening was going smoothly until the bottom of the third when Smith hit his two-run homer. The Rangers chipped away and scored two more runs thanks to the RBI single by Duran and the bases-loaded walk to Jankowski that plated Duran.

Dunning Fills in for Scherzer

The Rangers had originally penciled in Max Scherzer as their starting pitcher on Saturday. Those plans changed, however, when they ended up placing him on the 15-day IL with left hamstring tightness. Right-hander Dane Dunning took his spot.

Dunning made his 15th start of the season and took a no-decision. His line was 3 2/3 IP, 7 H, 2 R-ER, 1 HR, 1 BB, 5 K, 81 pitches/50 strikes. For the third consecutive game, a Rangers starter recorded five or more strikeouts in a start of 3 2/3 innings or fewer. Dunning settled in to fire a 1-2-3 second inning before maneuvering out of a jam with runners on first and second in the third by inducing an inning-ending fielder’s choice. He departed with two outs in the fourth and a runner on first, which was stranded by Chafin. The loss was Chafin’s third of the year. His record now sits at 4–3 with an ERA of 3.64.

Hancock’s Evening

Mariners starter Emerson Hancock earned his fourth career victory and his first against the Rangers. His final line was 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R-ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 1 HR, 79 pitches/55 strikes. He fired five innings of two-run ball. The 25-year-old right-hander has gone five or more innings in nine of his fourteen career starts. He is 4–0 in seven games when the Mariners score three or more runs while he is in the game. His overall record is now 4–4 with an ERA of 4.74. Hancock lowered his road ERA for the season from 8.78 to 7.36 after Saturday’s start. His five hits allowed are the fewest since his start on May 7 against the Minnesota Twins.

Postgame Comments

After the game, Bochy discussed the tough luck that the Rangers had on Saturday. “We did have a lot of chances,” Bochy said. “One hit changes the whole game, changes the score. Tough luck. We did all we could do tonight, and the pendulum just didn’t swing in our favor again.”