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Texas still undefeated after 7-3 win over Seattle
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By Stephen Hawkins, AP
April 6, 2011
Arlington, TX — Mitch Moreland hit a tiebreaking double off Cy Young winner Felix Hernandez and the Texas Rangers remained unbeaten, defeating the Seattle Mariners 7-3 Wednesday.
The AL champion Rangers are 6-0 for the first time since 1996, when they set a team record by winning their first seven games. Texas has a day off Thursday before starting its first road trip of the season Friday in Baltimore.
Moreland’s go-ahead hit in the seventh inning made a winner of C.J. Wilson (1-0).
Hernandez (1-1) allowed four runs, two of them unearned, in seven innings. He struck out six and walked three.
A pair of errors by newly converted second baseman Jack Wilson led to the Mariners’ troubles.
C.J. Wilson gave up two earned runs and six hits over seven innings. The crafty left-hander was a 15-game winner last season when he made the transition from reliever to starter.
Arthur Rhodes, the 41-year-old lefty, needed only four pitches to get through the 3-4-5 batters in the Seattle lineup in the eighth. Then the Rangers broke it open in the bottom half with three runs, two on a double by Nelson Cruz off Brandon League.
After pitching a complete game on opening day, Hernandez started against Texas with a 10-pitch walk to Ian Kinsler. The right-hander also walked AL MVP Josh Hamilton in the first without giving up a run.
But in the second, Hernandez allowed consecutive one-out singles and a walk to the bottom three hitters in the Texas lineup to load the bases. Wilson then made consecutive errors on what could have been ending-inning double plays.
Kinsler hit a grounder to third baseman Chone Figgins, whose throw to second was bobbled by Wilson without getting an out when a run scored. The next play was a grounder to shortstop Brendan Ryan, and Wilson got the forceout but threw wide of first after Kinsler slid in hard. Wilson was knocked to the ground and two runs scored on the errant throw.
Luis Rodriguez replaced Wilson at second base to start the bottom of the third, though there was no immediate announcement from the Mariners on why that move was made.
Known for making stellar plays at shortstop, Wilson had only played that position during 10 years in the majors until being shifted to second base this season. Ryan took over as the starting shortstop.
After playing their first six games on the road, the Mariners (2-4) have a day off Thursday before their home opener against Cleveland, manager Eric Wedge’s old team.
During pregame festivities Friday in Seattle, Hernandez will be presented his Cy Young Award he won last season when he was 13-12 with a league-best 2.27 ERA.
Rodriguez had a leadoff double in the fifth and scored on a grounder. Milton Bradley led off the sixth with a double and scored on a single by Jack Cust.
Adrian Beltre is hitting only .125 (3 for 24) for the Rangers, but the Gold Glove third baseman made a spectacular play to start the eighth on Bradley’s hard high chopper. Beltre made a backhanded stab near the line, then turned and threw to first where Moreland made an equally nice snag to complete the out.
NOTES: The Rangers are the first team since 2003 to win at least six consecutive games to open a season. That year, Kansas City started 9-0 and San Francisco was 7-0. … Mariners C Adam Moore left the game in the eighth after hurting his right leg when retrieving a bounced pitched that he blocked and had just retrieved. … Beltre snapped an 0-for-14 slump since his grand slam Saturday when a bad-hop single in the third. … After the day off Thursday, the Mariners are scheduled to play 17 consecutive days. … C.J. Wilson’s career record is now 28-28.
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