Rangers thrive on long ball

ARLINGTON, Texas – The only real fireworks between Texas and Seattle this time were the pyrotechnic displays after back-to-back home runs by Josh Hamilton and Milton Bradley, and then the 10th-inning game-winning shot by Ramon Vazquez as the Rangers rallied for a 13-12 victory Monday night.

Only four nights after Mariners first baseman Richie Sexson charged the mound and flung his helmet at Texas pitcher Kason Gabbard to ignite a bench-clearing brawl, the A.L. West rivals met again. Sexson was with his team, but not playing while serving the third game of his five-game suspension for his actions. He’ll miss the entire Texas series.

Vazquez’s homer came on a 1-0 pitch with one out in the 10th off Brandon Morrow (0-1), who struck out the other four batters he faced.

Seattle tied the game with four runs in the ninth, with Kenji Johjima capping that outburst with his first homer of the season, a three-run shot with two outs off closer C.J. Wilson that made it 12-12. Raul Ibanez had an RBI double earlier in the inning.

Morrow struck out the side in order in the bottom of the ninth. Morrow then struck out German Duran to start the 10th before Vazquez, the No. 9 batter, ended the 4-hour, 9-minute game by pulling a drive down the right-field line.

Doug Mathis (1-0), the sixth Rangers pitcher, threw a perfect 10th in his major league debut.

Hamilton and Bradley hit towering homers to start the third against Erik Bedard, who had a five-run lead before even throwing a pitch. Those homers ignited a four-run inning that put Texas up 6-5 and chased Bedard.

The only time things got heated between players was in the Texas seventh when Vazquez struck out and exchanged words with pitcher Ryan Rowland-Smith, who pumped his fist after the third strike. Vazquez yelled at the pitcher while slowly walking back to the dugout and Rowland-Smith returned verbal jabs. But they weren’t close to each other.

Gabbard is the scheduled starter Tuesday against Felix Hernandez, the same matchup from Thursday. Hernandez hit two Texas batters before Sexson charged the mound after an eye-high pitch that was more over the plate than inside.

Hamilton finished with four RBIs, increasing his majors-best total to 43.

Texas starter Vicente Padilla pitched into the sixth, but a no-decision kept him from his sixth victory, which would have matched the league lead and equaled his total for 2007.

After allowing one earned run his previous three starts, including Wednesday when he limited Seattle to two singles over seven innings, Padilla gave up four hits and five runs – only two of them earned after two Texas errors – in the first inning Monday.

In his last start at Texas, July 7 pitching for Baltimore, Bedard tied an Orioles franchise record with 15 strikeouts.