Mariners snap skid with win at Texas

Big first inning leads Mariners past Texas

ARLINGTON, Texas –– The Mariners salvaged a win in an otherwise forgettable series in Texas and Christian Bergman made another push to possibly remain in the starting rotation in the weeks ahead in a 7-3 victory over the Rangers on Sunday.

Bergman’s final line — 5 2/3 innings, giving up two runs on four hits with two walks and a strikeout — isn’t stellar. But given what the Mariners have been getting from their starting pitchers on this trip, including his previous clunker in Minnesota, it was an outing they will take.

Seattle improved to 34-37, snapping a three-game losing streak.

After going hitless in the first two games of the series at Globe Life Park, Kyle Seager had a game befitting his typical numbers in the stadium, ripping three RBI doubles, including two off Texas ace Yu Darvish. The three doubles in a game tied a career high.

Seattle took advantage of Darvish’s lack of command, pushing his pitch count up and getting him out of the game after five innings, while scoring five runs on eight hits off him.

The Mariners gave Bergman a 4-0 lead before he even threw a pitch. Ben Gamel led off the game with a single and later came around to score on a wild pitch. Seager doubled home Mitch Haniger and Danny Valencia followed with a two-run homer to left field to make it 4-0.

Showing much better command and movement compared to his outing in Minnesota, Bergman navigated his way through the Rangers’ dangerous lineup. His only big mistake came in the second inning. He walked Rougned Odor on four pitches and then hung a slider to Carlos Gomez that was crushed over the wall in left-center for a two-run homer

Seattle answered Gomez’s blast getting a run back in the third inning on back-to-back doubles from Nelson Cruz and Seager.

Things got a little dicey in the seventh inning after manager Scott Servais had turned the game over to the bullpen.

After getting two quick outs, reliever Steve Cishek got up on Robinson Chirinos 0-2, but later hit him with a 2-2 slider. Chirinos made no attempt to get away from the floating pitch. Cishek then walked pinch-hitter Mike Napoli to bring the tying run to the plate.

With Shin Soo-Choo up, Servais went to lefty James Pazos. But the move didn’t work. Pazos looked overwhelmed by the moment, balking the runners up a base and then throwing a wild pitch behind the head of Choo to make it 5-3. He eventually walked Choo, which ended his outing.

Servais tried right-hander Nick Vincent next to get that final out. He walked Elvis Andrus on five pitches to load the bases, but came back to get Nomar Mazara to fly out to center after a long at-bat to end the inning.

Seattle got a cushion in the top of the eighth on Seager’s third RBI double and a two-base throwing error by Andrus.