Odor's 11th-inning HR salvages win for Rangers
SEATTLE -- Rougned Odor hit a solo home run in the top of the 11th inning, two innings after teammate Prince Fielder extended the game with a two-out homer in the ninth, as the Texas Rangers rallied to beat the Seattle Mariners 2-1 on Saturday night.
Odor homered off Seattle reliever Mike Montgomery (2-1) to give the Rangers their first lead of the night. Two spectacular defensive plays in the bottom of the 11th helped Texas finish off the win and give Sam Dyson his ninth save.
The Mariners (34-28) were one strike from winning in the top of the ninth, but Fielder hammered a 3-2 pitch from Seattle closer Steve Cishek into the right-field stands for a two-out homer that tied the score 1-1.
The Rangers (38-24) opened a four-game lead atop the American League West. It marked just the second time in seven extra-inning games that Texas came out on top. Seattle fell to 5-2 in extra innings.
The Mariners wasted a solid start from left-hander James Paxton, who threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings. Paxton allowing six hits and two walks while striking out seven. He struck out Fielder on a 98 mph fastball on his final pitch, No. 101 for the night.
Texas starter Colby Lewis barely avoided his first loss of the season on a night when he pitched one of his finest games. Lewis allowed one run and three hits in eight innings and was in line to suffer a tough-luck, complete-game loss before Fielder's homer tied the score 1-1 with two outs in the top of the ninth.
The Rangers threatened in the top of the 10th but ended up stranding runners on first and third when right fielder Nomar Mazara grounded out to shortstop.
Seattle left the bases loaded in the bottom of the inning. Shortstop Ketel Marte hit a long fly ball to right that was caught just in front of the warning track to end the inning.
After Odor gave Texas the 2-1 lead with his 10th home run of the season, Seattle threatened in the bottom of the 11th but came up short, stranding two runners on base.
Leadoff hitter Norichika Aoki was hit by a pitch, but the Mariners couldn't move him to second base because Texas' Mitch Moreland made a nice play to field a bunt and throw Aoki out at second. The next batter, Robinson Cano, drove a fly ball up the middle, but Texas center fielder Ian Desmond made a diving catch for the second out. After a Nelson Cruz infield single, Seattle's Kyle Seager flied out to end the game.
Reliever Matt Bush (2-0) picked up the win after pitching a scoreless 10th.
NOTES: Texas 3B Adrian Beltre was sidelined by a hamstring problem for the third straight game. ... Heading into Saturday, the Mariners had a streak of four days in a row with a player hitting two home runs in a game. No team in major league history had achieved the feat in five consecutive games. ... Seattle 1B Dae-Ho Lee, who hit two homers in Friday night's win, was not in the lineup. Lee, who bats right-handed, was replaced by left-handed Adam Lee because the Mariners were facing a right-handed starting pitcher. ... Rangers C Robinson Chirinos, who saw his first action in two months on Friday night, was back on the bench to start the game. He was getting a routine day off after missing 60 days recovering from a broken forearm. ... Texas went into Saturday with a three-game lead on Seattle in the American League West. ... The Mariners signed their first-round draft pick, Mercer University OF Kyle Lewis. He took batting practice with the Mariners before Saturday's game. "It was unbelievable," he said. "Something I've been dreaming about my whole life."