85-68 - Rangers leap over Mariners with big outburst from bats

The Texas Rangers scored eight runs while the Seattle Mariners scored five runs.

The biggest game in Arlington since Yu Darvish and Cole Hamels were fronting the rotation, Nomar Mazara was a promising 21-year old rookie, and Adrian Beltre was still a summer away from hit No. 3,000 and Juan Gonzalez was back in town for the first time in nearly 20 years? The Mariners had no chance.

It didn’t take long for that to prove true as Corey Seager showed that he’s eager for some October baseball with a solo home run in the 1st. A bigger hit, however, came from the newest promising 21-year old rookie Evan Carter who did his best Kevin Elster impression for returning Igor with a massive three-run laser beam home run from the No. 9 spot in the order.

Up 4-0, the Rangers began to pour it on with another four runs in the the bottom of the 5th to make it 8-0. Meanwhile, tonight’s starter Dane Dunning was cruising through the first couple of times through the Seattle lineup before running into trouble in the 6th.

A hit following a three-run Cal Raleigh home run ended Dunning’s night before the Texas bullpen made things a little more white knuckle than expected with an eight run lead from just minutes earlier. But Andrew Heaney came on and pitched a couple of quality innings after getting a grounder to end Seattle’s four-run frame.

The win allows Texas to move ahead of Seattle by a full game in the congested race for an AL Wild Card spot and allows them to keep pace with Houston in the still undecided AL West.

Player of the Game: Tonight’s game was, for all intents and purposes, an early playoff game and Evan Carter grabbed a seat at the table that wants October baseball with his backbreaking three-run dong.

Up Next: The Rangers and Mariners are back at it tomorrow with LHP Jordan Montgomery next up for Texas opposite RHP Logan Gilbert for Seattle. A win for the Rangers would give them the season tiebreaker over the M’s.

Saturday evening’s final Peagle appearance from The Shed is scheduled for 6:05 pm CT and will be aired on BS Southwest.