Mariners” sluggers break out
ARLINGTON, Texas – The Seattle Mariners’ offense is starting to mesh as Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson get more comfortable with American League pitching.
Beltre homered in the first inning, and Sexson had three of Seattle’s season-high 15 hits in a 7-4 win over the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night.
“Tonight we were patient,” Mariners manager Mike Hargrove said. “Beltre’s homer got us off on the right foot and put us at ease.”
Seattle had been limited to three runs during a three-game losing streak before breaking out in a 9-1 win over the Cleveland Indians on Sunday.
Wilson Valdez and Raul Ibanez each had three hits for Seattle, which has won six of nine on the road this season.
Beltre and Sexson came over from the National League, and they’re both getting used to the adjustment. Beltre started the night with a .247 average and Sexson was hitting .213.
“They’re learning the pitchers,” Hargrove said. “It’s just a continuation of the settling-in process.”
Beltre was particularly encouraged by an 11-pitch, ninth-inning at-bat against Doug Brocail that resulted in a leadoff double.
“That at-bat in the ninth was the best I felt this year,” Beltre said. “I was able to foul back the good pitches until the one I wanted.”
Mariners starter Joel Pineiro allowed four solo homers but little else.
Texas’ Dave Dellucci connected in the second inning, cutting Seattle’s lead to 3-1, and Mark Teixeira and Kevin Mench homered in the fourth, cutting the Rangers’ deficit to 5-3.
Pineiro (2-1) retired his next 12 batters before Alfonso Soriano homered in the eighth. He then was replaced by Ron Villone.
Pineiro, who got his first win in five career starts at Arlington, gave up five hits in 7 1/3 innings, struck out five and walked one. Eddie Guardado got three outs for his sixth save in seven chances.
“I’ve seen him better, but he was good enough,” Hargrove said of Pineiro. “He got in trouble when he got the ball up.”
Ryan Drese (2-2) allowed five runs, 11 hits and three walks in 6 1/3 innings with five strikeouts.
Drese’s sinker had been effective in hitter-friendly Arlington as he compiled a 2.25 ERA in his only other home start this season.
But Drese wasn’t able to keep the ball down consistently against the Mariners.
“He’s not always going to carry that great sinker out there,” Rangers manager Buck Showalter said. “As much as it moves, sometimes it’s hard to command.”
Beltre got the Mariners off to a fast start with his two-run, first-pitch blast in the first, and Sexson scored from second with the third run of the inning when Mench misplayed Randy Winn’s single to left for an error.
“I don’t usually jump on the first pitch,” Beltre said. “For some reason, I was thinking I wasn’t going to swing at it. But it was a good pitch over the plate. I was lucky enough that it went out.”
Miguel Olivo added a two-run single in the third. Ibanez doubled in two runs off Brocail in the ninth.
Notes
Seattle started the night with a league-low 11 homers. … Seattle opened a stretch of 12 road games over a 15-game span. … The Mariners are 4-0 this season after an off day. … Seattle’s Wilson Valdez had his first three-hit game in the major leagues.