ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Felix Hernandez surrendered a grand slam in his shortest outing of the season when the fading Seattle Mariners needed their ace to end a losing streak.
Now they’ll go home looking to stay in the AL wild-card race after a three-game sweep by Texas essentially ended their hopes of winning the AL West.
“We’ve just got to go out there and play with everybody and show people who we are,” Hernandez said after giving up Carlos Gomez’s grand slam in the Rangers’ 14-1 romp Wednesday. “We’ve got some good pitching here to win games. Just got to have fun.”
The Mariners, losers of five straight and now 11 1/2 behind the Rangers in the AL West, will be at least four games back in the wild card when they face the Los Angeles Angels on Friday to start a homestand that includes four more games with Texas.
The Mariners went 1-6 on a trip that started at the Chicago White Sox after finishing a homestand with two straight losses to the Yankees.
“We have bounced back all year,” manager Scott Servais said. “We need to pick it up, no doubt. It’s been a rough trip. Guys are down a little bit and rightfully so. Off day tomorrow, we’ll come back and bring the energy that we need to have to get out and play.”
Rougned Odor followed his game-ending shot Tuesday night with two more homers Wednesday, giving him a team-leading 27 for the season.
Odor tied a career high with five RBIs and Adrian Beltre and Ryan Rua also homered as the Rangers tied their season high with five homers. Texas (80-54) moved a season-high 26 games over .500 with a fifth straight win going into a three-game home series against second-place Houston.
The Rangers matched the 1999 and 2012 Texas teams as the fastest to reach 80 wins.
“So far the body of work speaks for itself,” Texas manager Jeff Banister said. “We still have some work to do.”
Martin Perez (9-10) pitched six shutout innings despite giving up seven hits and three walks. Kyle Seager hit his 25th homer for Seattle in the eighth against Tony Barnette.
Hernandez (9-5) matched a season high by allowing six runs, coming out after four innings in his first loss since May 27. He was trying to finish 5-0 in August.
Gomez hit a soaring fly ball about a dozen rows above the 14-foot wall in left field for his second grand slam this season and a 6-0 lead in the fourth. The other slam also was against Seattle on July 17 when he was still with Astros.
Odor had a two-run shot for a 10-0 lead in the seventh and a three-run homer in the eighth. On Tuesday, his two-run homer in the ninth gave Texas an 8-7 win.
Beltre’s 25th homer of the season was a two-run shot in the fifth.
CAMINERO EJECTION
Seattle reliever Arquimedes Caminero was ejected after hitting Texas’ Elvis Andrus with a pitch in the seventh. Caminero hit Andrus in the ribs with a high 98 mph fastball two batters after allowing Odor’s two-run homer. In the second inning, Andrus ran into Mariners first baseman Dae-Ho Lee while running out a groundball. Andrus tried to apologize, but Lee, who had three hits, didn’t look pleased.
Caminero was ejected May 24 while with Pittsburgh after hitting two Arizona batters in the head.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Mariners: DH Nelson Cruz missed his second straight game with a nerve issue in his left hand that affects his grip on the bat. Servais said he was responding to medication and should be in the lineup Friday against the Los Angeles Angels. The Mariners are off Thursday. … Servais said he expects LHP James Paxton to make his next start after he ripped a fingernail Tuesday.
UP NEXT
Both teams are off Thursday. Seattle LHP Ariel Miranda (1-1, 4.98 ERA) will open a home series against the Angels on Friday night. Texas RHP A.J. Griffin (6-3, 4.39) gets the opener of a home series against Houston, which has won 10 of 12.
