Rangers Come From Behind to Beat Mariners

Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

April 7, 2026

Rangers 3, Mariners 2

ARLINGTON, Texas (Apr 7) – The Texas Rangers secured their first series at home in 2026 Tuesday night against the Seattle Mariners, 3–2 in front of a crowd of 22,411. They rode a big two-run blast by Kyle Higashioka to victory on a picture perfect night in Arlington. They’ll go for the three-game sweep on Wednesday afternoon with first pitch scheduled for 1:35 pm Central at Globe Life Field. Righty Bryan Woo (0–0, 1.38 ERA) will take the mound for the Mariners, while left-hander MacKenzie Gore (1–0, 3.97 ERA) will get the ball for the Rangers.

Early Struggles for Rangers

The Rangers found themselves behind, 1–0, only one pitch into Tuesday’s contest. That pitch was thrown by righty Nathan Eovaldi and was deposited into the seats in right by Brendan Donovan for his third homer of the season.

The Mariners scored again in the top of the fifth. Cole Young hit a two-out single up the middle before Eovaldi threw a wild pitch to Donovan. This moved Young to third. Moments later, Donovan drew a free pass to bring up Cal Raleigh. Young scored from second thanks to a single to center by Raleigh.

The Rangers fought back in their half of the fifth against right-hander George Kirby. Joc Pederson led off with a single to third and advanced to second on a throwing error by Donovan at third. Pederson later crossed the dish on a single to right by Evan Carter.

On deck was Higashioka, who gave the Rangers a 3–2 lead with his first homer of the year. It was of the two-run variety to left-center on an 0–1 pitch.

What Went Right for the Rangers

The big hit of the night was Higashioka’s two-run shot in the fifth. Up until then, the Rangers struggled to find opportunities to score. The hits by Pederson and Carter were added bonuses as well.

What Went Wrong for the Rangers

The Rangers faced a problem in the first when Donovan homered off Eovaldi’s first pitch of the game. The Mariners also threatened in the fifth when Raleigh hit a single to plate Young.

Eovaldi’s 300th Career Start

Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi made his 300th career start (319th career appearance) and earned his first win of 2026. His line on the evening was 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R-ER, 2 BB, 7 SO, 1 HR, 93 pitches/60 strikes. It was also his first victory against the Mariners since September 24, 2023. He achieved another career milestone Tuesday, collecting his 1,500th strikeout to end the first inning by inducing a chase from Josh Naylor on a 2–2 cutter.

Eovaldi became the 16th active pitcher with 1,500 strikeouts, and the second this year behind Mariners righty Luis Castillo, who did it on March 30 against the New York Yankees.

Reliever Jakob Junis earned his second save after working out of a jam in the ninth with two runners on.

Tough Loss for Kirby

Mariners starter George Kirby tossed a complete game Tuesday but took the loss, firing eight innings of three-run ball. His line was 8 IP, 6 H, 3 R-ER, 0 BB, 4 SO, 1 HR, 90 pitches/68 strikes. Tuesday marked Kirby’s second career complete game, joining his effort on April 27, 2023 against the Philadelphia Phillies – also a loss. Tuesday was the first complete game loss for a Mariners pitcher since Logan Gilbert on September 7, 2024 against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Schumaker’s Postgame Comments

After the game, Rangers manager Skip Schumaker discussed the improvements he saw in Eovaldi on Tuesday since his last start. “This was a night where 65 to 70 percent of his pitches were strikes,” Schumaker said. “His splitter and cutter were probably his best pitches of the night. He was changing eye levels with his fastball. There was a lot of weak contact. I thought [it] worked really well with Higgy (Kyle Higashioka). It was just a really good mix of pitches. He was on the attack all night.”