By Tim Booth
The Associated Press
SEATTLE — Robinson Cano homered during a five-run first inning, the Mariners knocked out starter Cole Hamels early and then Seattle pulled away with a six-run sixth inning in a 14-6 win over the AL West-leading Texas Rangers on Monday.
Cano’s 32nd homer of the season is one off his career high set in 2012 while with the New York Yankees.
The two-run shot also set the tone for Seattle’s largest offensive output since scoring 14 in a win over Toronto in late July. Franklin Gutierrez drove in four runs, including a solo home run in the second inning and finished a triple short of the cycle.
Jesus Sucre tied a career high with three hits, including a two-run single to cap Seattle’s big first inning.
The Mariners sent 11 batters to the plate in the sixth.
Hamels (14-5) was knocked around for the second time in a week by the Mariners and failed to make it through two innings for just the second time in his career.
Hamels lasted just two outs in a 2010 start with Philadelphia. He gave up six runs and seven hits against the Mariners just last week in Texas.
Monday was even worse.
The key at-bat was Kyle Seager’s two-out walk in the first inning. Seager stole second base to get into scoring position and scored on Dae-Ho Lee’s base hit for an early 3-0 lead. Leonys Martin followed with a double, and Sucre’s soft liner scored a pair for a 5-0 lead.
Gutierrez homered to right field with one out in the second — his 14th of the season — and Lee’s second RBI single later in the inning finally ended Hamels’ day.
Despite being staked to a 7-0 lead, Seattle starter Felix Hernandez (10-5) nearly gave it all away. Texas scored five times off Hernandez in the third inning, including a three-run homer by Nomar Mazara and RBI singles from Rougned Odor and Jonathan Lucroy. Hernandez threw 49 pitches in the inning, but managed to keep the lead. Hernandez made it through 5 2/3 innings and gave up six runs before being lifted.
Odor added a solo home run in the sixth inning — his 30th of the season.
Up next
Rangers: LHP Martin Perez (9-10) makes his career-high 29th start. He is 2-6 with a 5.73 ERA in his last 11 starts. Perez, who had Tommy John surgery in May 2014, already has pitched 169 2/3 innings this season.
Mariners: LHP James Paxton (4-5) was pushed back one day after tearing a fingernail in his last start, when he came out after five innings against Texas. Paxton experienced no problems throwing on the side, but Servais said there is “a little bit more intensity on the breaking pitches” in an actual game.
Texas Rangers starting pitcher Cole Hamels stretches after giving up a walk to the Seattle Mariners during the second inning of a baseball game Monday, Sept. 5, 2016, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
