SEATTLE (AP) – Rougned Odor homered twice, Nomar Mazara reached the third deck with an impressive drive and the Texas Rangers beat the Seattle Mariners 7-2 Tuesday night to end an eight-game skid.
Shin-Soo Choo led off the game by homering on Tommy Milone‘s first pitch, and the Rangers went on to snap the fourth longest losing streak in the majors this year. Seattle has lost three of four.
Milone (1-5) had been scheduled to follow an opener, but manager Scott Servais said before the game he liked the matchups for the left-hander and decided to start him instead.
After Choo’s homer, his sixth leadoff connection of the season and 33rd of his career, Odor and Logan Forsythe led off the second inning with consecutive singles that fell in front of Domingo Santana in right field.
Santana made a sliding attempt on Forsythe’s blooper, perhaps injuring himself, then missed wide right on his throw home on Asdrubal Cabrera‘s sacrifice fly. He was pulled between innings with a sore right elbow.
Tim Federowicz made it 3-0 with an RBI single.
It got worse for Milone in the third when Mazara led off the inning with a homer estimated to 458 feet. One out later, Joey Gallo laid down a bunt back to the mound. Milone fielded the ball, but his throw was wild and Gallo moved to second. Odor homered to right-center field for a 6-1 lead.
Milone pitched through the sixth inning, giving up nine hits and striking out five.
Odor added a solo home run in the eighth off new Mariners reliever Matt Magill for his third multihomer game of the season and 12th of his career.
Long reliever Pedro Payano (1-0), called up Tuesday from Triple-A Nashville, struck out seven and gave up one run and three hits in five innings following opener Brett Martin. It was his first major league win in his second appearance.
The Mariners are 2-8 since the All-Star break. Omar Narvaez and J.P. Crawford had run-scoring hits for Seattle.
RANGERS MOVES
Rangers manager Chris Woodward thinks Ronald Guzman is Texas’ first baseman of the future. To reach that goal, Woodward thought it best to send Guzman down to Triple-A Nashville for a while to work on his offense.
“One thing I told him when I sent him down, I’m really proud of him,” Woodward said. “He’s been working really, really hard on all the things we’ve been talking about.”
Guzman is batting .193 with eight home runs and 29 RBIs in 68 appearances, including 56 starts at first base. Guzman was sent down to make room for Payano. Whether it’s Payano or not, a pitcher will hold the roster spot when the Rangers travel to Oakland on Thursday.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rangers: Gallo was pulled before the start of the eighth with a sore right wrist.
UP NEXT
Rangers: LHP Mike Minor (8-5, 2.86 ERA) looks to end a three-game winless streak in the series finale against the Mariners.
Mariners: RHP Mike Leake (8-8, 4.27 ERA) returns to the mound for the first time since his complete-game one-hitter last Friday.
