TEXAS RANGERS CLIPS – June 16, 2014
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TEXAS RANGERS CLIPS – June 16, 2014 TEXASRANGERS.COM Martinez improves, but Texas can't solve Iwakuma Rookie allows two runs in six innings; Snyder's first HR is only offense By T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com | 6/15/2014 8:09 PM ET SEATTLE -- Mariners pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma had a big advantage in his Father's Day pitching duel against Rangers starter Nick Martinez. Iwakuma had Kyle Seager on his side. Seager has a tendency to turn into George Brett when he sees the Rangers' uniform in the opposing dugout, and that made the difference on Sunday afternoon at Safeco Field. Martinez, who had an 11.08 ERA in his last three starts, was much better on Sunday against Iwakuma. But Seager, on a 4-for-4 afternoon, put the Mariners ahead with a two-run double in the fifth and they went on to a 5-1 victory over the Rangers. The loss snapped the Rangers' three-game winning streak although they still took two of three from the Mariners to open their nine-game road trip. The Rangers' next stop is Oakland for a three-game series with the division-leading Athletics. Seager also had a double in the Mariners' three-run eighth inning against relievers Robbie Ross Jr. and Ben Rowen, who was making his Major League debut. "He doesn't miss much when we face him," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "The first couple of days I thought we did a good job against him, but today when we made a mistake he didn't miss it." In his last 42 games against the Rangers, Seager is hitting .392 with nine home runs, 31 RBIs, a .432 on-base percentage and a .667 slugging percentage. "It's just one of those things," Seager said. "It's just sometimes the way it lines up, I guess." Iwakuma has also had pretty good success against the Rangers lately and the only run scored off him on Sunday was a two-out home run by Brad Snyder in the second inning. It was Snyder's first Major League home run. At age 32, he is the oldest Ranger to hit his first home run since Hector Ortiz in 2002. "I had never faced him before but his numbers speak for themselves," Snyder said. "It was definitely a get-it-over fastball and I was ready for it. I ain't going to lie. I've been waiting for the first big league home run for a long time. It's a big sigh of relief to get the first one out of the way." The Rangers needed more than that but Iwakuma held them to six hits, did not walk a batter and struck out six. Snyder's home run was the only extra-base hit and the Rangers didn't get a runner into scoring position until two out in the eighth inning. "The guy pitched his tail off," Washington said. "He can pitch. He kept the ball off the fat part of the plate and bore his sinker inside on our right-handed hitters. He was good." Martinez, regaining command of all his pitches, went six innings and allowed two runs on nine hits. He walked one, struck out three and threw 96 pitches while giving the Rangers a fourth straight quality start. But unlike Yu Darvish, Nick Tepesch and Joe Saunders, Martinez ended up on the losing end. "I felt good. ... I felt like I was back on track," Martinez said. "I had command of all of my pitches. It's just disappointing we didn't get the win, but it was definitely a step in the right direction." Martinez was in trouble in almost every inning but was able to hold the Mariners scoreless through four. But when Endy Chavez led off the fifth with a single, it marked the fourth time in five innings that the Mariners' leadoff hitter reached on a hit. This time the Mariners didn't strand him. James Jones popped out, Robinson Cano walked and Logan Morrison popped out. That brought up Seager, who had two leadoff singles in his previous two at-bats. This time he was batting with runners in scoring position and he doubled into the right-field corner to give the Mariners a 2-1 lead. "Game management," Martinez said. "I probably should have pitched around him or made him chase something outside of the zone." Martinez got out of the inning by getting Mike Zunino to fly out, then he retired the side in order in the sixth for the first time on the afternoon. "He found his secondary stuff today," Washington said. "Threw a lot of changeups and threw some breaking balls. With Nick, you need all of your pitches to maneuver through the batting order and he did. He made the mistake to Seager but it was certainly a big improvement." Iwakuma's brilliance, Seager's bat lift Mariners Righty allows a run in eight innings; 3B goes 4-for-4 with three RBIs By Adam Lewis / MLB.com | 6/15/2014 9:00 PM ET SEATTLE -- Right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma was brilliant for eight innings, third baseman Kyle Seager went 4-for-4 and drove in three runs and the Mariners snapped a five-game losing streak with a 5-1 win over the Rangers in front of 39,196 fans Sunday at Safeco Field. The victory helped the Mariners improve to 35-34 and avoid a series sweep by Texas. Seattle grabbed the lead for good when Seager delivered a two-out, two-RBI double down the right-field line off Texas starter Nick Martinez (1-4) in the fifth inning, giving the Mariners a 2-1 edge. "He probably didn't play one of his best games last night and he came out very determined today and he was big for us," said manager Lloyd McClendon, referring to Seager striking out in his final two at-bats Saturday night. Seager struck again in the eighth with an RBI double to nearly the identical spot, extending the lead to 3-1. In his last eight games against Texas, Seager is 16-for-32 with three doubles, three homers and 11 RBIs. The four hits tied a career high. "He doesn't miss much when we face him," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "The first couple of days I thought we did a good job against him, but today when we made a mistake, he didn't miss it." Seager had no explanation for why he crushes Rangers pitching. "It's just one of those things," he said. "That's just the way it lined up, I guess." From there, the Mariners tacked on as left fielder Dustin Ackley followed with an RBI single. Shortstop Brad Miller's sacrifice fly provided the insurance run that allowed McClendon to avoid using closer Fernando Rodney. When Rangers first baseman Brad Snyder hit the first home run of his MLB career, staking the Rangers to a 1-0 lead in the second inning, it looked as if the Mariners might drop their sixth straight game to begin the homestand. But Iwakuma was stellar, scattering six hits and allowing just a run after nearly getting scratched before first pitch because of neck stiffness. "He had some problems warming up and really wasn't sure if he was going to make his start. It just goes to show you how tough he is," McClendon said. "The trainers actually had to go out to the bullpen and readjust him a little bit and he was able to go out." The visit loosened Iwakuma's neck and gave him the confidence to pitch. It got better as the game progressed. When asked if it might cause him to miss his next start, he wasn't sure. "I needed to pitch today," Iwakuma said through translator Antony Suzuki. "I felt responsible after [we] lost five in a row so I wanted to go out there and give it all I had." The 33-year-old struck out six and didn't walk a batter, improving to 5-3 with a 2.59 ERA. He threw 68 of 106 pitches for strikes and tied a career high by lasting eight innings. He kept the Mariners around when they stranded runners in scoring position in each of the first four innings. "We were luring them into a false sense of security," McClendon joked. Iwakuma slammed the door after Seager delivered in the fifth. He said he'll begin treatment on his neck Monday. "Hopefully this won't affect [me] down the road," he said. For a while, the Safeco Field crowd was on edge. Right fielder Endy Chavez led off the bottom of the first inning with a double. He didn't advance farther than second base. Seager began the second with a single. He was thrown out trying to steal after catcher Mike Zunino swung and missed a 3-2 pitch. Ackley followed with a double, then utility man Willie Bloomquist hit an infield single, advancing runners to first and third, before Miller popped out to the shortstop to end the frame. In the fourth, Miller again came to the plate with runners on first and third and two outs but flew out to right fielder Alex Rios. Despite it, the Mariners finished 5-for-14 with runners in scoring position and collected 13 hits. It helped them move in front of Texas for sole possession of third place in the American League West. "Last year, we might have packed it in," Ackley, who went 2-for-4, said when asked about ending the losing skid.