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Seattle Mariners

Mariners outlast rain, Rangers

Chris Young went five innings, giving up two unearned runs on four hits with three walks and six strikeouts. (Associated Press)
Ryan Divish Seattle Times
Chris Young went five innings, giving up two unearned runs on four hits with three walks and six strikeouts. (Associated Press)

ARLINGTON, Texas – It took a little while for them to get going. A 3-hour, 13-minute rain delay of sitting around and waiting can make even the most energetic of players lethargic.

But with most people in bed or wishing they were, the Seattle Mariners did what they were supposed to do – beat a bad Texas team and add to their lead in the race for the final American League wild-card spot.

Kendrys Morales and Logan Morrison each laced run-scoring into left field to score the winning run and then add an insurance run in the eighth inning as Seattle rolled to a 4-2 victory over the Rangers in a game that ended early this morning in Texas.

It was Seattle’s fifth consecutive victory. At 78-63, they are now 15 games over .500 for the first time this season. With the Tigers losing to the Giants earlier in the day, the Mariners’ lead for the second wild-card spot was pushed to 11/2 games.

The Mariners found themselves trailing 2-0 going into the sixth inning thanks to a pair of unearned runs scored off starter Chris Young.

With one out in the sixth, Robinson Cano lined a sharp single into right field off Rangers starter Nick Martinez.

It was just the fifth hit of the night off Martinez – all singles. And it easily was the hardest hit ball off Martinez.

But that changed moments later. Kyle Seager jumped on a 1-0 fastball, blasting it deep into the right-field stands. It was his 23rd homer – a career-high – and it pushed his season total to 88 RBIs, also a career high.

Of Seager’s 23 homers this season, four have tied the game and six have given the Mariners a lead.

Young was much better than his previous two starts, looking more like the pitcher he was for most of the season. He threw five innings, giving up two unearned runs on four hits with three walks and six strikeouts.

With Young at 95 pitches after five innings, manager Lloyd McClendon went to his bullpen. Carson Smith and Charlie Furbush combined to overcome a swinging bunt and bloop single to pitch a scoreless sixth inning.

Danny Farquhar (2-1) followed with two innings of scoreless relief for the Mariners and got the victory in relief.

With a nice two-run cushion, Fernando Rodney worked a scoreless ninth inning to notch his 43rd save. He’s now two away from the club record held by Kazuhiro Sasaki.