Seattle, WA (Sports Network) - Derek Holland pitched into the eighth inning,
Adrian Beltre belted a two-run homer and the Rangers survived Joe Nathan's
shaky ninth to beat the Mariners, 3-2, on Friday.
Ian Kinsler went 2-for-5 with an RBI behind Holland (6-4), who failed to make
it out of the second inning the last time he faced Seattle.
Holland yielded eight runs in that May 30 loss -- a 21-8 shellacking -- but in
the opener of this three-game series the left-hander held the Mariners to four
hits and two walks while striking out four over 7 2/3 innings.
His solid start was nearly squandered when Nathan gave up three straight one-
out singles in the ninth to load the bases. Michael Saunders then hit a sharp
ground ball to first that ate up Michael Young, and the error allowed Kyle
Seager to score. Saunders, though, was caught up between first and second and
tagged out in a rundown.
Justin Smoak scored on a wild pitch to make it a 3-2 game, and a walk left
runners on the corners for Dustin Ackley. Nathan was able to settle down and
strike out Ackley to post his 19th save of the year.
Kevin Millwood (3-7) was charged with three runs on eight hits over 6 2/3
innings to take the loss, Seattle's fifth in six games.
GAME NOTES:
The Sports Network