Mariners snap Texas jinx
Seager hits three doubles, Bergman bounces back to lift Seattle to 7-3 victory
ARLINGTON, Texas — After consecutive six-run losses against Texas, the Seattle Mariners got to the Rangers’ ace Sunday and earned a long-awaited victory in Arlington.
Kyle Seager drove in three runs with three doubles, Christian Bergman pitched effectively into the sixth inning and the Mariners beat Yu Darvish and the Rangers, 7-3.
Danny Valencia’s two-run homer capped a four-run first against Darvish (6-5), and the Mariners beat the right-hander for the first time in eight tries on the road. Seager had RBI doubles in the first, third and eighth innings for Seattle, which won at Texas for the first time in its last nine tries.
“Fortunately they didn’t catch them today,” Seager said. “I thought I had swung all right the previous two days. Today, fortunately I hit it where they weren’t.”
With Seager pacing the offence, Bergman (4-4) permitted four hits and two runs in 52/3 innings after giving up nine runs in 22/3 innings in his last start in Minnesota.
“We needed someone to go out and give us innings, keep us in the ball game,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said. “He did a really good job mixing his pitches, threw more curveballs and some off-speed stuff to help him out, and it was huge.”
The Rangers pulled within 5-3 against the bullpen in the seventh — an inning that featured a hit batter, three walks, a balk and a wild pitch — but Nick Vincent got Nomar Mazara to fly out with the bases loaded to end the threat.
“Somebody needed to step up and he did,” Servais said of Vincent.
The Mariners tacked on two runs in the eighth against Dario Alvarez.
Rangers manager Jeff Banister was ejected in the second inning by crew chief Joe West after Seattle’s Tyler Smith was awarded first base on a hit-by-pitch on a play that was originally ruled a foul ball.
Darvish was coming off his best outing of the season — one hit and one run allowed in seven innings against Houston on Monday night — and he was one out away from getting out of the first unscathed. Seager’s double scored one run, a second came in on a passed ball and Valencia blasted a 3-1 pitch into the Mariners bullpen in left-centre.
“I put myself in situations where the hitter is going to get the pitch that they look for deep in the count,” Darvish said through a translator. “I think that caused me trouble.”
Darvish pitched five innings and gave up five runs, the most he’s allowed in a start since Sept. 17.
Carlos Gomez hit a two-run homer off Bergman in the second inning and finished the series with eight RBIs after returning from the disabled list Friday.
Banister’s day ended in the top half of the second inning. Home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt had initially said Darvish’s pitch hit Smith’s bat, but he changed the call after Smith’s pleading. Banister confronted Wendelstedt and was in the process of walking back to the dugout when West approached, sparking a more animated conversation and the ejection.
“From our vantage point it was a foul ball and that seemed to be the call on the field,” Banister said. “And then all of a sudden it turned into a batter taking first base. My question was: Where did it change?”
Seattle recalled RHP Max Povse from Double-A Arkansas, optioned RHP Rob Whalen to Arkansas and designated LHP Dillon Overton for assignment. Seattle has used 29 pitchers already this season, the most in the majors.
The Mariners also announced the signing of 26 draft picks, including first-round selection Evan White, a first baseman from the University of Kentucky.
“We needed someone to go out and give us innings, keep us in the ball game.” — Seattle manager Scott Service