Mariners fall flat again, lose to the Rangers 14-1

By Erik Erickson / Associated Press

SEATTLE — Elvis Andrus, Hunter Pence, Logan Forsythe and Shin-Soo Choo homered, Lance Lynn allowed one run over seven innings and the Texas Rangers routed the Seattle Mariners again, 14-1 Sunday.

Lynn (3-2) had his best start of the year, matching his season highs in innings pitched and strikeouts (nine) and equaling a season low in runs allowed.

Coming off a 15-1 win Saturday in which they had season highs in runs and hits with 20, the Rangers had 17 hits to earn a split of the four-game series with AL West-leading Seattle. Pence was 3-for-5 with four RBI and two runs scored, and Choo and Danny Santana had three hits apiece.

Andrus and Pence homered off Eric Swanson (0-3) during a four-run third. Pence fell behind 0-2 before hitting his third home run of the year, extending the lead to 5-0.

Texas scored four more runs in the fifth to chase Swanson, thanks in part to errors by shortstop Tim Beckham and left fielder Domingo Santana. The Mariners committed four errors Sunday and lead the league with 36 errors this season. Seattle committed three errors in Saturday’s loss.

Seattle’s third error, a botched ground ball by second baseman Dee Gordon with two out in the eighth, enabled Forsythe’s three-run homer off Anthony Swarzak, extending Texas’ lead to 13-1.

Choo homered in the ninth, his third of the season.

Swanson, still in search of his first major league victory, allowed nine runs, six earned, on 11 hits in four innings.

Ryon Healy drove in the Mariners’ only run with a groundout in the fourth. Daniel Vogelbach went 2-for-3 with a double for the Mariners, who are 5-11 in their past 16 games.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Seattle: CF Mitch Haniger was out of the lineup with a sore shoulder after landing awkwardly trying to make a catch in the eighth inning Saturday night. Haniger will be further evaluated after Monday’s day off, manager Scott Servais said.

UP NEXT

Mariners: RHP Felix Hernandez (1-2, 3.91) takes the mound as the Mariners kick off a two-game series against the Chicago Cubs. Hernandez took a tough loss in his last start, allowing one run on three hits and striking out eight.