ARLINGTON -- Any time, day or night, Kyle Seager is always capable of hurting the Rangers. Five minutes before midnight Saturday night, the Mariners third baseman hit a crucial two-run home run that tied the game and then in the eighth he moved the winning run from first to third on the way to a 4-2 victory over Texas.The game was delayed 3 hours, 13 minutes by rain. The final out was recorded at 1:18 a.m. Sunday.Seager's sixth-inning homer was his fifth this season in 18 games against Texas. He has hit 13 homers against the Rangers -- the most against any team in his four-year career. 
The victory moved the Mariners, winners of five in row and six of seven, to 1 1/2 games ahead of Detroit for the second AL Wild Card berth. With a win Sunday afternoon, the Mariners could close out a four-game sweep of the Rangers, who dropped their eighth consecutive game early Sunday morning.Seager's shot spared Mariners starter Chris Young from facing a potential hard-luck loss; Young had fallen behind 2-0 on two unearned runs in the fourth inning. Young left after five innings, but his outing was a significant improvement on his past two starts, when he threw a total of 4 1/3 innings.Young allowed only those two unearned runs on four hits and three walks (one intentional). He struck out six and held the Rangers hitless in their first nine at-bats with men in scoring position.In the eighth against Texas reliever Neal Cotts, Chris Denorfia drew a leadoff walk and Seager ripped a single through the hole on the right side to move Denorfia to third. Kendrys Morales, who belted a pair of two-run homers Friday night, then gave the Mariners the lead with a single to left.Logan Morrison drove home Seager with a single for Seattle's final run.Danny Farquhar earned the victory for the Mariners by pitching scoreless seventh and eighth innings. Fernando Rodney pitched a perfect ninth for his American League-leading 43rd save.Dave Sessions / Special to MLB.com
The victory moved the Mariners, winners of five in row and six of seven, to 1 1/2 games ahead of Detroit for the second AL Wild Card berth. With a win Sunday afternoon, the Mariners could close out a four-game sweep of the Rangers, who dropped their eighth consecutive game early Sunday morning.Seager's shot spared Mariners starter Chris Young from facing a potential hard-luck loss; Young had fallen behind 2-0 on two unearned runs in the fourth inning. Young left after five innings, but his outing was a significant improvement on his past two starts, when he threw a total of 4 1/3 innings.Young allowed only those two unearned runs on four hits and three walks (one intentional). He struck out six and held the Rangers hitless in their first nine at-bats with men in scoring position.In the eighth against Texas reliever Neal Cotts, Chris Denorfia drew a leadoff walk and Seager ripped a single through the hole on the right side to move Denorfia to third. Kendrys Morales, who belted a pair of two-run homers Friday night, then gave the Mariners the lead with a single to left.Logan Morrison drove home Seager with a single for Seattle's final run.Danny Farquhar earned the victory for the Mariners by pitching scoreless seventh and eighth innings. Fernando Rodney pitched a perfect ninth for his American League-leading 43rd save.Dave Sessions / Special to MLB.com
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