ARLINGTON, Texas _ Scoring eight runs in a game should guarantee you a win on almost every occasion.
And the Mariners did just that, outlasting the Rangers, 8-7, on Tuesday night to notch a series win.
But it wasn't easy.
Seattle needed all eight of those runs and a brilliant defensive play from Jarrod Dyson and Kyle Seager in the eighth inning to secure it.
Dyson made a brilliant throw from center field to cut down pinch runner Delino DeShields _ the potential tying run _ at third base to end the eighth inning and possible scoring threat. Seager did his part by fielding the short hop on the throw on the heel of his glove, making the tag and not losing the ball.
The Mariners improved to 55-53 on the season. They've now won five of six series since the All-Star break.
Seattle got an abbreviated start from Erasmo Ramirez, who pitched just 3 1/3 innings. But it wasn't unexpected.
Ramirez hadn't started a game since June 21. The Mariners hoped he would give them between 65-80 pitches and four to five innings. But it became clear in the fourth inning that the little right-hander was losing steam. After a throwing error by shortstop Danny Espinosa put the leadoff runner on base, Ramirez then left a first-pitch cutter over the inside half of the plate to Rougned Odor, which is not ideal.
Odor connected on the pitch like it was the jaw of Jose Bautista, hammering it into the upper deck of right field for his seventh homer in nine games. It cut the lead to 5-2.
Two batters later, Joey Gallo, a mammoth human being with frightening power, displayed it, smashing a solo homer over the wall in center and up on top of the roof of the pavilion well beyond it to cut the lead to 5-3.
That highlight-reel blast ended Ramirez's outing, but not because of any whiplash that it might have caused. Long reliever Casey Lawrence entered the game and quickly ended the inning with two quick outs.
The Mariners appeared to put the game out of reach once again in the top of the sixth, scoring three insurance runs all with two outs. Dyson's RBI single started the score and Robinson Cano followed with a two-run double into deep left center to make it 8-3.
But Gallo and his massive power struck again in the sixth. He mashed another homer to center off Lawrence. It wasn't as prodigious, but it was more damaging since two runners were on base. It cut the lead to 8-6.
The Rangers made it a one-run game against the parade of relievers that the Mariners used trying to slow their rally. It came with a little bit of controversy.
After benefiting from a pair of balks being called on lefty Alex Claudio on Monday, the Mariners felt the sting of the balk call in the seventh inning.
With two outs and Odor on first, Mike Napoli appeared to fly out to deep left field to end the inning. But a balk was called on the pitch on Tony Zych. So Odor was moved up to second and Napoli returned to the batter's box. Predictably, he singled to center to score Odor, cutting the lead to 8-7.
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