Rangers 5, Mariners 4
Adrian Beltre slugged two home runs to help Texas avert a three-game sweep by visiting Seattle.
Beltre slammed a 447-foot shot to center field in the second inning off Hisashi Iwakuma (7-4) and sparked a four-run seventh with a leadoff blast to center as the Rangers remained a half-game behind the Oakland Athletics in the American League West.
Raul Ibanez went 4-for-5 with his 21st homer and three RBIs for the Mariners. Ibanez gave Seattle a 3-1 lead in the seventh with a two-run blast off Neal Cotts.
Beltre’s second homer pulled Texas within a run and Mitch Moreland’s RBI single tied the score. Elvis Andrus hit a sacrifice fly to give the Rangers the lead and Ian Kinsler culminated the uprising by dropping a run-scoring single into center field.
Ibanez plated a run in the eighth with a single, cutting the deficit to one, before Tanner Scheppers retired Kendrys Morales to end the inning. Josh Lindblom (1-2) retired two batters in the seventh for the victory and Joe Nathan allowed a ninth-inning single before striking out Michael Saunders for his 28th save in 29 opportunities.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Iwakuma yielded four runs and five hits in six innings, while Texas starter Martin Perez allowed an unearned run and eight hits in 5 1/3 frames. … Beltre’s second homer was the 362nd of his career, moving him past Joe DiMaggio for 75th place on the all-time list. … Mariners 3B Kyle Seager had three hits and flied out to the fence in right against Nathan in the ninth. He went 8-for-14 in the series.