Julio Rodriguez went 4-for-6 with a home run, four RBIs and two runs scored and Jorge Polanco doubled and had three hits as the Seattle Mariners kept their playoff hopes alive with an 8-4 victory over the Texas Rangers on Saturday night in Arlington, Texas.
J.P. Crawford tripled and had two hits and Cal Raleigh and Justin Turner also had two hits for Seattle (80-75) which moved to within 1 1/2 games of idle Minnesota for the final wild-card spot in the American League. The Twins hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Emerson Hancock (4-4) picked up his first win since April 26, allowing two runs on five hits over five innings. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out three.
Josh Smith went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs, Travis Jankowski had two doubles with an RBI and a run scored and Ezequiel Duran also had two hits and an RBI and run scored for Texas (73-82), which lost its third straight game.
Andrew Chafin (4-3) picked up the loss in relief of emergency starter Dane Dunning for the Rangers, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks over 1 2/3 innings. Dunning, who allowed two runs on seven hits over 3 2/3 innings in his first start since Aug. 19, replaced scheduled starter Max Scherzer who was scratched after waking up with a sore left hamstring and was placed on the 15-day injured list.
Rodriguez, who had two home runs and five RBIs in Friday’s 8-2 series-opening win, hit the first pitch of the game into the front row of the right field bleachers for his 19th homer. The Mariners made it 2-0 later in the inning on an RBI single by Polanco, driving in Randy Arozarena, who had reached base on a fielder’s choice.
Texas tied it at 2 in the third when Smith lined his 13th home run over the fence in the right field corner, driving in Travis Jankowski.
The Mariners parlayed five singles, including consecutive RBI singles by Rodriguez, Raleigh and Arozarena, and a walk into three runs in the sixth to take a 5-2 lead.
The Rangers then took advantage of four walks by Seattle relievers Troy Taylor and Collin Snider to cut the lead to 5-4 in the bottom of the sixth. Duran singled in Wyatt Langford, who walked to open the inning and stole second, and Jankowski later walked with the bases loaded to force in Duran.
Seattle added three insurance runs in the ninth to go ahead 8-4. Polanco doubled and pinch-runner Victor Robles stole third and scored on a wild pitch. Crawford followed with a triple off the center field wall and Dylan Moore was then hit by a pitch and stole second, setting the stage for a two-run single by Rodriguez.
