The Texas Rangers managed eight hits off of Seattle Mariners' starter Hisashi Iwakuma, but only plated three runs as Texas fell, 6-3 to the last-place Mariners in front of 17,893 at Safeco Field in Seattle on Friday night.
With ten total hits in the contest, the Rangers had enough offense to potentially overcome Seattle's early attack, but they couldn't capitalize on opportunities as the Rangers left four runners stranded on the evening. Martin Perez had a tough stretch as the Rangers' starter, lasting just four innings after allowing six hits and three earned runs.
With Josh Hamilton out of the lineup after failing to make the trip to Seattle due to vision issues related to a sinus infection, it was left fielder David Murphy who led the Rangers offensively, going 3-of-4, including a double and a home run, with three RBI and a run scored. Nelson Cruz continued to swing a hot bat and went 2-of-4 with a run scored.
Seattle struck early when Casper Wells hit a double to left field that scored Justin Smoak in the bottom of the second inning. They would add another run in the third when a Perez wild pitch allowed center fielder Franklin Gutierrez to score.
The Mariners never relinquished the lead an improved to 71-80 on the year while Texas moves to 89-61. The two teams will face one another in Game 2 of the three-game set on Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. PT.
For more on the Rangers, check out Lone Star Ball.