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Seattle Mariners

Felix Hernandez, Mariners roughed up in Texas heat as Rangers win 11-4

Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners' Dee Gordon makes contact for a triple during the third inning of the team's baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2018, in Arlington, Texas. (Brandon Wade / AP)
By Stephen Hawkins Seattle Times

ARLINGTON, Texas – Bartolo Colon became the top-winning pitcher born in Latin America, punctuating his 246th career victory with a nifty snag as the Texas Rangers roughed up Felix Hernandez and the Seattle Mariners 11-4 on Tuesday night.

The 45-year-old Colon, from the Dominican Republic, made his sixth start since earning his 245th win on June 30 that matched the mark held by Dennis Martinez from Nicaragua.

Colon (6-10) gave up four runs and eight hits in seven innings. The portly and popular right-hander walked none and struck out one.

Colon retired 14 of the last 16 batters he faced after Seattle had two triples in the third, an inning after back-to-back homers by Nelson Cruz and Kyle Seager.

After throwing his 94th and last pitch, Colon reached out and snagged Dee Gordon’s comeback liner while slipping into a squat on the mound, but managing to stay upright on the inning-ending play.

Adrian Beltre, Jurickson Profar and Rougned Odor all homered off Hernandez (8-10), who allowed a career-high 11 runs – seven earned – in six innings. Odor also had a two-run double.

When Beltre struck out in the first against his old friend and former teammate, Hernandez laughed while playfully pointing him back toward the dugout. Beltre grounded into a double play in the third, but his 468th career homer was a solo shot to straightway center in the sixth that made it 11-4.

Hernandez, whose 168 career wins are the most by a Venezuelan-born pitcher, struck out two and walked four. He was hurt by two errors by third baseman Kyle Seager that led to four unearned runs.

The Mariners led 3-0 before Texas had a four-run third. Odor’s double made it 3-all and Elvis Andrus had a tiebreaking RBI single to extend the longest active hitting streak in the majors, and his career best, to 18 games.

Profar’s three-run homer made it 8-4 in the fifth right after Seager misplayed Beltre’s two-out grounder.

Odor’s two-run shot in the sixth was his 14th homer. Center fielder Cameron Maybin then made a running, leaping catch with his glove extended near the top of the wall to take a hit away from Andrus before Beltre put a shot over the wall.