Mariners 5, Rangers 0
SEATTLE -- Felix Hernandez extended the Texas Rangers' offensive woes and Seattle teammate Nelson Cruz made a triumphant return from a quad injury in the Mariners' 5-0 win on Wednesday that salvaged a split in the four-game series.
Hernandez pitched eight scoreless innings and Tom Wilhelmsen finished as the Rangers (73-65) were unable to score a run for the second game in a row.
Texas has struggled through 18 consecutive scoreless innings while falling 2 1/2 games behind first-place Houston in the American League West standings.
Cruz went 2-for-4 in his first game in a week, with a two-run homer in the seventh inning that essentially put the game out of reach.
Left fielder Mark Trumbo added two hits and two RBIs as Seattle (68-73) won for the seventh time in nine games.
Hernandez (17-8) gave up three hits while striking out eight. He allowed only one runner past first base before Texas put two runners on base against Wilhelmsen in the ninth.
Texas was held to five hits and no runs in the final two games of the series. The Rangers also had three errors Wednesday, one more than in the previous 13 games combined.
Cruz sparked a two-out rally in the first. He singled and moved to third on a Robinson Cano double before red-hot left fielder Mark Trumbo drove in both with a double into the right-field corner for a 2-0 Seattle lead.
The double gave Trumbo hits in five consecutive at-bats while extending his hitting streak to a career-best 12 games.
The Rangers survived some uncharacteristically sloppy defense.
Texas, which made just two errors in its previous 13 games, had two errors in the fifth inning.
A botched grounder by second baseman Rougned Odor followed by an off-target throw from pitcher Derek Holland on an attempted pick-off at second left runners on second and third with one out. But Holland was able to get out of the jam with a strikeout and inning-ending groundout.
Seattle extended its lead to 3-0 in the seventh on a one-out RBI single from shortstop Ketel Marte. Catcher Jesus Sucre led off with a double, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Marte's single up the middle.
The Rangers' only real scoring threat came in the second when first baseman Mitch Moreland led off with a double and moved to third base on a two-out wild pitch. But Hernandez got out of that without any damage and didn't allow another runner to reach second base.
Holland gave up five runs and nine hits in seven innings, his worst outing in six appearances this season.
NOTES: Rangers OF Josh Hamilton will undergo arthroscopic knee surgery Friday, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. It's believed to be a minor procedure, and the Rangers hope to have him back as a pinch hitter before the end of the season. He has made only two appearances, both as a pinch hitter, since coming off the disabled list last week. ... Mariners DH Nelson Cruz was back in the lineup Thursday after missing six games with a strained quad muscle. ... Seattle LHP James Paxton threw a bullpen session and appears likely to start Sunday against the Rockies. Paxton hasn’t pitched in a major-league game since late May, due to a strained finger in his pitching hand. ... Texas CF Delino DeShields continues to be bothered by a sore knee. DeShields was not in the lineup Thursday, marking the third consecutive day that he was out. ... The Mariners went into the game seeking a series split. The last time Seattle had dropped a series was Aug. 21-23, when the Mariners lost two of three to the Chicago White Sox.