Rangers sweep aside M’s

ARLINGTON, Texas – Eddie Guardado managed to keep his lunch down Thursday.

All he coughed up on the mound was a win.

Nine innings and nearly 3 hours later, Jamie Moyer – making his first relief appearance since 1996 – gave up a two-run home run to Alfonso Soriano in the 18th inning, bringing the second-longest game in Seattle history to an end. Texas 9, Seattle 7, and all it took was every pitcher the Mariners had available, and one who shouldn’t have been.

“We got to the ninth inning with a one-run lead, I had my closer and a long reliever left,” manager Bob Melvin said.

It is the burden of a closer that no matter how many scoring opportunities his team wastes, victory comes down to getting three outs in the ninth inning when you have a lead.

The Mariners had a lead. It should have been huge, but wasn’t, and when Guardado allowed the tying run to score in the ninth inning, Texas completed a three-game sweep that pushed the Mariners 11 1/2 games back.

That train fading into the distant horizon? It’s the American League West.

The Mariners aren’t on it.

Three games after Seattle announced this series was the start of the most important stretch of games the Mariners had played all year, they’re 0-3.

Forgive them for believing the place is possessed. Take Joel Pineiro’s fourth inning.

A broken-bat single fell into the outfield, a ground ball got through the infield, a third hit never left the infield and then Jason Conti dropped a parachute fly ball into left field.

Not a hard-hit ball in the rally, but two runs.

The Mariners lost more than a game; they lost leads and chances and heart.

“We don’t play well here, we haven’t in two years,” manager Bob Melvin said. “It’s not my favorite place. You lose a game like this, it takes something out of you.”

In the heat of an endless afternoon, the Mariners and Rangers played for 5 hours and 47 minutes. Seattle used eight pitchers, Texas used eight more.

Center fielder Hiram Bocachica went 14 innings before dehydration began cramping his legs. He had to come out.

It was the longest game in major league baseball this season – two innings longer than the Mariners’ 16-inning game against Minnesota on May 4.

By the time it ended, Moyer, who was scheduled to start tonight’s game, had pitched three innings and Seattle had to change it’s plans. Freddy Garcia will start tonight, and the Mariners will see about their rotation after that.

Down early 1-0, the Mariners scored four runs in the second inning, then single runs in the third, fifth and seventh – building leads of 4-1, 5-1, 6-3 and 7-5.

None lasted.

Pineiro went six innings and left with the lead, but barely. From that point on, Melvin managed with one thing in mind: Get the game to the ninth inning and Guardado.

In the course of six outs, he used relievers Ron Villone, Julio Mateo, Shigetoshi Hasegawa and Mike Myers.

And the Mariners got to the ninth inning ahead, 7-6.

Guardado took the ball in the ninth, three outs from his 15th save, and three outs from Seattle’s 30th victory. He got Soriano to foul out, but Brad Fullmer doubled and Mark Teixeira singled him home to tie the game.

When Randy Winn’s throw to the plate was late and wide, Teixeira scrambled into second base.

Guardado gave up an infield single to Gary Matthews Jr., who beat Jolbert Cabrera’s throw to first base – and Teixeira tried to score from second base on the play.

John Olerud threw a strike to the plate and Pat Borders caught it and dove at the runner. Peering through a cloud of dust, plate umpire Jeff Nelson called “out” – and the game rolled into extra innings.

Guardado pitched the 10th, but after using so many relievers in the seventh and eighth innings, Melvin had only one left for the 11th. J.J. Putz was given the ball.

Putz came out after four innings of relief, and Moyer came in to break a streak of 251 consecutive starts. He hadn’t pitched in relief since he was with Boston on June 27, 1996.

After three scoreless innings, Moyer gave up a single to Hank Blalock.

As Guardado had nine innings earlier, Moyer heaved a sigh on the mound, then delivered – and Soriano hit Moyer’s 54th pitch of the game for a game-ending home run.