Cal Raleigh hit a solo home run and a grand slam while Bryan Woo and two relievers combined on a three-hitter as the Seattle Mariners routed the Texas Rangers 13-1 on Friday in the opener of a three-game series at Arlington, Texas.
In a matchup of teams heading opposite directions, the American League West-leading Mariners won their fifth in a row and seventh in their past eight while Texas dropped its third consecutive outing and sixth in its last seven.
Woo (4-1) went 6 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while striking out eight with no walks. He was followed by Trent Thornton and Troy Taylor, who allowed Texas’ lone run in the ninth.
Seattle pounded out 17 hits, with Rowdy Tellez leading the way with three, and Raleigh, Julio Rodriguez, J.P. Crawford, Ben Williamson and Miles Mastrobuoni recording two each.
The Rangers were kept off the board until Josh Smith’s solo home run with two outs in the ninth. Texas’ only hit until then was a two-out single in the fifth by Jonah Heim. Wyatt Langford followed Smith’s homer with a single.
Raleigh got Seattle on the board off Jack Leiter (2-1) when he homered to right field to open the fourth.
The Mariners all but assured the victory with a seven-run fifth. Rhylan Thomas hit a leadoff double before Jorge Polanco drew a one-out walk and Rodriguez singled to load the bases. Raleigh picked them all up with a grand slam — his major-league-leading 12th homer of the season — to right to make it 5-0.
Leiter lasted one more batter, allowing a double to Randy Arozarena before being lifted for Jacob Latz. Tellez then singled home Arozarena and later went to second on Mastrobuoni’s single. Williamson followed with a double to plate Tellez, and Thomas’ sacrifice fly drove home Mastrobuoni to make it 8-0.
Leiter wound up yielding six runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings. He fanned two and walked two.
Rodriguez padded the Mariners’ lead in the sixth with a two-run home run to center field.
With Texas down 10, catcher Tyler Barnhart pitched a scoreless eighth before giving up three runs on four hits in the ninth.
–Field Level Media
