Rangers 4, Mariners 3
Shin-Soo Choo hit a tiebreaking homer and Elvis Andrus also went deep as host Texas beat Seattle for a split of the two-game series.
Choo went 2-for-3 and scored twice with his leadoff blast in the fifth inning holding up as the deciding run. The victory was just the third in 10 games for the Rangers, who were without first baseman Prince Fielder (neck) for the fourth straight game.
Nick Tepesch (1-0) allowed three runs and five hits in 6 1/3 innings in his second major-league outing of the season. Neal Cotts worked out of an eighth-inning jam and Joakim Soria worked a flawless ninth for his eighth save.
Texas scored three runs off Chris Young (3-2) in the first as Andrus hit a two-run shot that narrowly cleared the wall in left and Alex Rios added an RBI single. Seattle got on the board on a run-scoring single by Michael Saunders in the fourth and Robinson Cano followed with a two-run shot to center to end a 29-game homerless streak.
Choo cleared the fence in left-center field in the following inning to give Texas a 4-3 lead. Seattle had the tying run on second in the eighth before Cotts struck out Cano and Kyle Seager to extinguish the threat.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Texas opens a four-game series in Detroit on Thursday and Fielder was slated to remain behind to undergo further tests before it is decided whether he will be available for the series opener against his former club. … Young allowed four runs and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings while losing his second straight start. … Rangers CF Leonys Martin (neck) missed his second straight start and entered the game as a defensive replacement in the ninth.