Rangers Not So Hot Against Johnson Gets 11th Win With Ayala’s Help In 2-1 Victory Over Rangers In Texas Heat

It’s the same old story when Randy Johnson pitches against Texas. The Seattle Mariners win.

Johnson won his seventh straight decision, pitching the Mariners past the Rangers 2-1 on Thursday night. It was Johnson’s 12th victory in 15 career decisions against Texas.

Johnson (11-1) limited Texas to one run - it was unearned - and four hits in seven innings. The Seattle star, who has allowed just one earned run in his last 44 innings, struck out six and walked one.

Bobby Ayala relieved Johnson and finished for his fifth save.

Only the Texas heat stopped Johnson, who tired after he threw 101 pitches.

“The weather zapped me the first couple innings,” Johnson said. “I felt tired then the adrenaline got me going. I’m not a robot out there. That’s probably the least number of pitches and innings this year but I was really beat. The heat was draining.

“My arm and back were tired. I was happy to get out of the game with the lead. That was about my B-minus stuff.”

He added that he loves pressure games against Texas.

“Michael Jordan is great under pressure and that’s the way I want to be,” Johnson said. “(Manager) Lou Piniella looks to me in crucial situations and I like to think I succeeded a lot in those situations.

“After losing two games to San Francisco this is a big win for us against a divisional rival. What better way to start a four-game series than with a win here?”

Piniella agreed, passing the credit on to his pitcher.

“If you want to start out with a win there’s no better guy to have out there than the guy we had out there tonight,” Piniella said. “He’s the best pitcher in baseball and I know there are a lot of talented pitchers.”

Paul Sorrento, who threw out a runner at the plate in the seventh, and Jay Buhner homered as the Mariners beat Texas ace Ken Hill (4-5).

Sorrento connected in the second inning for his 11th homer. It was his seventh home run at The Ballpark in Arlington, tops among Rangers opponents.

Buhner hit his 18th homer in the seventh, a 393-foot shot into the left-field stands that made it 2-0.

Texas got an unearned run in the seventh, helped by an unusual play.

Juan Gonzalez singled with one out and Will Clark followed with a looper down the left-field line that rolled near the stands. Rob Ducey, who had been sent into the game as a defensive replacement, picked up the ball and tried to throw, but he lost control and the ball fell into the stands.

Gonzalez was given home plate, and Clark, who got credit for a double, took third on Ducey’s error.

But the Mariners preserved the lead with a double play. Dean Palmer hit a grounder to third baseman Russ Davis, who threw to Sorrento at first for the out. Clark then tried to break home, but was nailed on Sorrento’s throw to catcher Dan Wilson.

Johnson walked only one hitter, Mark McLemore in the third, and picked him off.

Texas manager Johnny Oates said Johnson, who beat Texas 5-0 in May, was not as overpowering as usual.

“It didn’t look like he was throwing as hard as he did earlier this year,” Oates said. “He was still getting the ball up there pretty good. It looked like he was throwing more sliders than normal.”

Notes

Oates was ejected for the first time this season in the sixth for arguing a play at first base when Jose Cruz Jr. beat out a hit. Umpire Fieldin Culbreth tossed Oates… . Texas recalled infielder Hanley Frias from Triple-A Oklahoma City to replace Bill Ripken, who is expected to be sidelined a month because of a herniated disc in his lower back… . Rangers outfielder Mike Devereaux refused an assignment to the minors and was given his unconditional release… . Seattle shortstop Alex Rodriguez hasn’t played since June 11 because of a bruised chest. Alvaro Espinoza started for him… . Benji Gil had struck out nine consecutive times against Johnson before he put down a sacrifice bunt in the sixth.

MEMO: Changed in the Spokane edition.

This sidebar appeared with the story: Mariners 2, Rangers 1 Seattle AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Cora 2b 3 0 1 0 1 0 .342 Cruz Jr lf 4 0 1 0 0 0 .276 Ducey lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .222 Griffey Jr cf 3 0 1 0 1 1 .300 EMartinez dh 4 0 1 0 0 0 .333 Buhner rf 4 1 2 1 0 1 .236 Sorrento 1b 3 1 2 1 0 0 .288 a-Amaral ph-1b 1 0 0 0 0 0 .257 DaWilson c 4 0 0 0 0 0 .281 RDavis 3b 4 0 1 0 0 2 .301 Espinoza ss 4 0 0 0 0 0 .196 Totals 34 2 9 2 2 4

Texas AB R H BI BB SO Avg. McLemore 2b 3 0 1 0 1 0 .224 IRodriguez c 4 0 0 0 0 0 .339 Greer lf 4 0 1 0 0 2 .335 JuGonzalez rf 4 1 1 0 0 1 .244 WClark 1b 3 0 1 0 1 0 .355 Palmer 3b 4 0 0 0 0 2 .246 Simms dh 2 0 0 0 0 1 .254 b-Newson ph-dh 0 0 0 0 1 0 .255 Buford cf 2 0 1 0 0 0 .216 Gil ss 1 0 0 0 0 1 .233 c-LStevens ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .273 DCedeno ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 .253 Totals 28 1 5 0 3 7

Seattle 010 000 100 2 Texas 000 000 100 1 a-grounded into double play for Sorrento in the 8th. b-walked for Simms in the 8th. c-grounded out for Gil in the 8th. E-Ducey (1). LOB-Seattle 7, Texas 5. 2B-WClark (13). HR-Buhner (18) off KHill; Sorrento (11) off KHill. RBIs-Buhner (52), Sorrento (32). CS-McLemore (3). S-Buford, Gil. GIDP- EMartinez, Amaral. Runners left in scoring position-Seattle 2 (Cruz Jr 2); Texas 4 (McLemore, IRodriguez, JuGonzalez, Palmer). Runners moved up-McLemore, IRodriguez, LStevens. DP-Seattle 1 (RDavis, Sorrento and DaWilson); Texas 2 (Gil, McLemore and WClark), (Gil and WClark).

Seattle IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA RaJohnson W,11-1 7 4 1 0 1 6 101 2.19 Ayala S,5 2 1 0 0 2 1 25 4.29 Texas IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA KHill L,4-5 7-1/3 9 2 2 2 3 103 4.01 Vosberg 2/3 0 0 0 0 0 1 4.74 Patterson 1 0 0 0 0 1 7 1.30

Inherited runners-scored-Vosberg 2-0. IBB-off Ayala (WClark) 1. WP-Ayala. T-2:31. A-45,572 (49,166).