Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Beltre's 5 RBIs back Holland as Rangers roll

 Derek Holland threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings and Adrian Beltre racked up five RBIs on a home run and double as the Rangers rolled to an 8-0 victory over the Mariners on Tuesday night at Safeco Field.
Seattle has opened the season with five straight home losses for the first time in franchise history in falling to 2-6, while Texas improved to 5-4 with its fourth win in the past five games.
Holland allowed just four singles and two walks, lowering his ERA to 2.31, while picking up his first win of the season. The Rangers' rotation is 5-1 with a 2.95 ERA after nine games.
"That's what we are looking for," manager Jeff Banister said. "We know we have a solid bullpen. Those starters been phenomenal for us so far.
Left-hander Wade Miley took the loss in his Safeco Field debut as he gave up six runs on 10 hits over six innings, with Beltre's three-run blast the big hit in a five-run third. Miley, acquired from the Red Sox in a December trade, is 0-1 with an 8.25 ERA after two starts against Texas.
Beltre got around on a 2-2 slider that was low and inside and was able to drive it on a line off Edgar's Cantina in left field.
"He's good. He's been doing it for a long time," Miley said. "I'm not taking nothing from him. But you can't have five consecutive runners on the basepaths. It snowballs in their favor and they got some momentum and did what they're supposed to do. It's on me."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Beltre passes Evans: Beltre hit his 415th home run, passing Darrell Evans for 49th all-time. Up next is Cubs Hall of Famer Billy Williams with 426. Beltre also had a two-run double in the seventh, giving him 1,475 for his career. That ties him with Williams for 56th all-time.
"I feel okay," Beltre said. "I think I can do better. The whole key is to keep the swing right where it is and stay consistent the whole season."
Cano leaves 'em stranded: Since his torrid start in Texas when he ripped four homers in three games, Robinson Cano has struggled at Safeco. And the trend continued Tuesday as the six-time All-Star twice came to the plate with two on and two out and couldn't deliver against Holland. Cano lined out to first baseman Ryan Rua in the third, then struck out in the fifth with runners on first and second. Cano went 0-for-4 on the night and is 2-for-20 in the homestand as his average dropped to .182.
Mazara sparks defense: The Rangers made several highlight defensive plays, including two by Nomar Mazara. He made a diving catch to his left on Chris Iannetta in the second inning and raced to the wall in deep right-center to haul in Leonys Martin's long drive in the third.Ian Desmond made a couple of tough catches in left field and Beltre had his own diving stop at third base in the second inning. More >
A collision and a bomb: Miley hurt his knee in a collision with catcher Iannetta fielding a bunt by Delino DeShields in the fifth, then gave up the homer to Fielder three batters later. He said the sore knee wasn't an issue, but manager Scott Servais said it impacted his performance.
"I thought Miley did a great job hanging in there. He twisted his knee a little bit and he was sore. But he battled and competed. I tip my hat to him. A lot of guys would have bailed on it right there. He's not going to make any excuses. He's a gamer. He's a fighter. And I appreciate that in him. But he ran into the one inning and just wasn't able to get through it. Beltre hit a pretty good pitch."
QUOTABLE
"We just have to keep playing. If you get tied up and worrying about what's happened over the homestand, it's just going to get worse. You've just got to clean slate, flush it and move on. That's all you can really do." -- Miley on Seattle's slow start
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Rangers pitchers had a 6.31 ERA in the first four games of the season and a 2.05 ERA in the last five games.
WHAT'S NEXT
Rangers: The Rangers close out their seven-day road trip with right-hander A.J. Griffinpitching against the Mariners at 2:40 p.m. CT Wednesday at Safeco Field. The Rangers are 2-1 so far this season in days games as they try for a sweep of the Mariners.
Mariners: Taijuan Walker closes out the homestand in Wednesday's 12:40 p.m. PT series finale as the 23-year-old makes his second start of the season. Walker gave up two runs in six innings in a no-decision against the A's last Friday. He's 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA in four prior meetings with Texas, including three starts.

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