Rogers, Rangers roll on
SEATTLE — Kenny Rogers became the first 11-game winner in the majors and Hank Blalock hit a two-run home run, leading the Texas Rangers to a 9-6 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night.
Rogers (11-2), who hasn’t lost since May 9, pitched into the sixth and won his seventh straight decision. He faced one batter in the sixth, allowing three runs on six hits and struck out three.
Texas was 22 games behind first-place Seattle at this point last season, but the A.L. West-leading Rangers (44-31) are only one game behind the best start in team history after 75 games, set in 1996.
Francisco Cordero came in with two outs and the bases loaded in the ninth, and gave up a two-run single to Ichiro Suzuki before getting Randy Winn to line out to left. It was Cordero’s 24th save in 26 chances.
Mark Teixeira extended the lead to 8-3 with a solo homer in the top of the inning, and Rod Barajas added an RBI double in the ninth.
The Rangers collected nine of their 16 hits and built a 5-0 third-inning lead against rookie Clint Nageotte (1-4), who lost his third straight start in his fifth big league appearance.
Rogers was perfect through three innings, and the Rangers appeared ready to coast with their 5-0 lead, built on David Dellucci’s two-RBI single and a run-scoring single and a sacrifice fly by Barajas.
Then, the Mariners attacked in the fourth.
Winn drove a 1-1 pitch from Rogers for a two-run homer that pulled Seattle to 5-2 after Suzuki’s leadoff single. The ball went over the wall in left, just beyond Dellucci’s reach.
Rich Aurilia added a two-out RBI double down the left-field line, scoring Bret Boone to make it 5-3.
Rogers left after giving up a single by Jolbert Cabrera leading off the sixth. Francisco took over, getting Edgar Martinez to hit into a double play and striking out Boone to preserve the lead.
In the eighth, Michael Young hit a leadoff single and Blalock followed by hitting an 0-1 pitch from Julio Mateo to give Texas a 7-3 lead in the eighth. The homer was Blalock’s 21st, keeping him tied with Boston’s David Ortiz for the A.L. lead.
Two outs later, Teixeira drove a 1-1 pitch from Mateo just over the wall in right.
Nageotte, called up from Triple-A Tacoma on May 28, left after walking Brad Fullmer and Teixeira with two outs in the fourth.
Nageotte pitched 32/3 innings, struggling much of the time with his control. He allowed five runs on nine hits with two walks and one strikeout. He also threw a wild pitch and hit one batter.
Notes: The Rangers tied a team record for most homers in June — 44. The previous mark was set in 2001. … Rogers came in with a 7-9 lifetime record against Seattle, allowing a .354 average. He was hit by Suzuki’s grounder in the fifth but, after two extra warmup tosses, kept pitching.
Olivo out with kidney stones
Seattle Mariners catcher Miguel Olivo, just acquired in a weekend trade, wasn’t at Safeco Field for Wednesday night’s game against Texas because he was being treated for kidney stones.
Manager Bob Melvin said Olivo could miss two or three days, though he said there also was a slim possibility he could show up in time for Wednesday’s game.
Olivo joined the Mariners in a five-player trade Sunday with the Chicago White Sox for former Seattle right-hander Freddy Garcia and catcher Ben Davis. Olivo started behind the plate in Tuesday’s 4-3 win over Texas, going hitless in three at-bats.