ARLINGTON, Texas — Adolis García and Evan Carter hit Texas’ first back-to-back home runs this season in the fourth inning, leading the Rangers to a 5-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night.
García’s team-high seventh homer barely cleared the wall in straight-away center field and tipped off the glove of Julio Rodríguez. García stood near first base apparently thinking Rodríguez made the catch until he saw the center fielder walk toward the infield, turn, and look over the fence.
Carter hit a triple to drive home García in the seventh in an inning kept alive on an obstruction call at first base against Mariners reliever Austin Voth when Nathaniel Lowe appeared to hit into a 3-6-3 double play.
Texas scored twice in the sixth when Jonah Heim singled into the right field corner and Mitch Haniger committed a two-base error.
Jonathan Hernández (1-0), making his first appearance of the season, retired four of the five batters he faced. Hernández was sidelined with a lat strain until being activated from the 15-day injured list on Tuesday.
The Mariners left nine runners on base and were 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position. Josh Rojas scored the Mariners’ run in the first inning on a fielder’s choice grounder by Haniger after opening the game with a triple. Rojas led off for the first time this season after J.P. Crawford was a late scratch because of right oblique soreness.
Starter Jon Gray allowed one run on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. Gray, who returned to the rotation after pitching 1 2/3 relief innings last Saturday at Atlanta, struck out seven and walked one.
The Mariners Bryce Miller (3-2) gave up the two homers and four hits in four-plus innings.
Texas’ Corey Seager left the game following the seventh inning with a left shin contusion after being hit by a pitch.
Mariners:
– C Cal Raleigh sat out following a tooth extraction.
Rangers:
– RHP Max Scherzer (back surgery) pitched 2 1/3 innings for Triple-A Round Rock in his first rehab outing this year. He allowed three runs on five hits, two of them home runs, struck out four, and threw 52 pitches.
– RHP Austin Pruitt (right knee medial meniscus injury) was placed on the 15-day injured list retroactive to Sunday.
Upcoming Pitching Matchup:
– Mariners RHP Luis Castillo (1-4, 4.40 ERA) will start the series finale on Thursday. Castillo has allowed 18 hits but fanned 19 in 14 2/3 career innings vs. Texas.
– Rangers LHP Andrew Heaney (0-2, 6.35) has pitched five innings in one of his four previous starts.
