Mariners News: Seattle Walks-off Rangers to End Lengthy Losing Streak

The Mariners walk-off the Rangers to end lengthy losing streak

The Seattle Mariners (3-6) snapped their 5-game losing streak in dramatic fashion on Wednesday afternoon, winning 4-2 against the Texas Rangers (5-5) at Safeco Field. It took 10 innings, but the M’s got the monkey off their back. Steve Cishek (1-1, 1.80 ERA) was credited with the win for Seattle, and Jake Diekman (0-1, ) took the loss for the Rangers.

Taijuan Walker got the start for Seattle, and he was very effective for the Mariners on Wednesday afternoon. The 23-year-old right-hander allowed 1 run on 5 hits across 6 innings of work. Walker fanned 4 and issued a pair of free passes en route to picking up a no-decision. He had solid command of his arsenal, as 74 of his 108 pitches found the strike zone today.

Texas opened the scoring in the top of the 3rd inning. Delino DeShields is a pesky player, and the speedster legged out an infield single leading off the frame. Walker retired the next two men he faced, but Adrian Beltre plated DeShields from second base on a single.

The Mariners fought back to tie the game in the home half of the 3rd inning. Nori Aoki found his way to second base after hitting a deep fly ball to left field that ricocheted off Ian Desmond‘s head leading off the inning. Seth Smith has been red hot ever since spring training, and the veteran outfielder scored Aoki on a crisply hit ground ball into center field.

Seattle took the lead in the 5th inning thanks to the Cano Show. Robinson Cano absolutely destroyed an A.J. Griffin slider, launching it deep to left field for a solo home run. The ball cleared the fence by a good 15 rows, and gave the Mariners a 2-1 lead. The homer was Cano’s 5th of the season.

Vidal Nuno was called on to work the 7th with the Mariners up 2-1. The 28-year-old southpaw made quick work of the Rangers, retiring the side in order to preserve the M’s slim lead.

Scott Servais handed the ball off to Joel Peralta in the 8th, and that move ended up costing the Mariners. DeShields muscled up on a hanging breaking ball, depositing it into the bullpen in left field. The solo round-tripper tied the game at 2.

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Steve Cishek came in to pitch with the score tied in the 9th, and the M’s closer required just 10 pitches to record the necessary three outs. Cishek came back out in the 10th, and struck out the side to keep the score deadlocked.

Nelson Cruz reached with 1-out in the 10th after Rougned Odor was unable to corral a hard hit ground ball at second base. Kyle Seager replaced Cruz at first base after he grounded into a fielders choice. Dae-ho Lee is quickly becoming a fan favorite in Seattle, and the rotund slugger connected on a 2-run home run to win the game for the Mariners.

There were obviously plenty of missed opportunities today for Seattle. An inning ending double play with the bases loaded in the 1st comes to mind, as does Cruz striking out to end the 7th with runners on the corners. However, the Mariners did just enough to win today and end their 5-game losing streak.

Next: Mariners are Set to Begin Winning Streak

Looking ahead, Thursday represents as a travel day for the Seattle Mariners (3-6) as they will make their way to the Bronx to battle the New York Yankees (4-2) this weekend. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 4:05 pm from Yankee Stadium. Nate Karns (0-1, 7.20 ERA) will get the ball in the series opener for Seattle, and Luis Severino (0-1, 5.40 ERA) will be on the bump for the Yanks. Root Sports Northwest will carry the game live locally, and MLB.tv subscribers can watch worldwide on connected devices.