SEATTLE — Kyle Seager hit a two-run homer and Dae-Ho Lee added a solo shot to lift the Seattle Mariners to a 6-3 victory over Texas on Thursday night at Safeco Field, the Rangers’ fourth loss in five games.
Taijuan Walker (5-10), who lasted just two-thirds of an inning in his previous start, shook off two game-opening walks to finish five innings, giving up three runs and seven hits to win for the first time in six starts.
Evan Scribner and Nick Vincent combined for three scoreless innings and rookie Edwin Diaz pitched a perfect ninth for his 13th save in 14 chances.
Derek Holland (7-7) allowed four runs and 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings, walking three and striking out five. Despite the loss, Texas still leads the AL West by 8 1/2 games.
Seager’s home run off Jake Diekman, his career-high 27th, put the Mariners up 6-3 in the seventh.
Seattle erased a 2-1 deficit with three runs in the third on a two-run, bases-loaded double by Chris Iannetta and Guillermo Heredia’s RBI infield single.
Ian Desmond pulled Texas within 4-3, opening the fifth with his 22nd homer.
Texas went in front with two runs in the third. Carlos Beltran singled in Robinson Chirinos from second, whose reach-back slide narrowly beat the throw home from right fielder Franklin Gutierrez.
Adrian Beltre followed with another single, but left fielder Heredia threw out Desmond at home. Rougned Odor then delivered an RBI single.
Lee staked the Mariners to a 1-0 lead in the second with his 14th home run, an opposite-field liner down the right-field line.
Holland escaped a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the third when he struck out Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz, who have a combined 67 homers and 171 RBIs, to end the inning.
