AL: SEATTLE at TEXAS <div class="pre">AL AT TEXAS - MID INNING UPDATE PLAY: J Putz relieved G Sherrill. SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, M BYRD ON SECOND, 1 OUT CURRENT SCORE: SEATTLE 6 TEXAS 5 BOTTOM, 8TH DUE UP FOR TEXAS: G Laird (.238, 1-FOR-3, RBI)</div>
AL: SEATTLE at TEXAS <div class="pre">AL AT TEXAS - SCORING UPDATE TWO-RUN HOME RUN BY RAMON VAZQUEZ (5) TO CENTER WITH 2 OUT IN THE 8TH OFF J.J. PUTZ SCORED MARLON BYRD. CURRENT SCORE: SEATTLE 6, TEXAS 7 DUE UP FOR TEXAS: T METCALF (.244, 1-FOR-3)</div>
AL: SEATTLE at TEXAS <div class="pre">AL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - SEATTLE 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 3 6 15 0 TEXAS 0 1 2 0 2 0 0 2 7 12 0 (TOP 9) CURRENT PITCHERS: SEA - J.J. PUTZ TEX - JOAQUIN BENOIT DUE UP FOR SEATTLE: J VIDRO (.303, 0-FOR-3, BB) R SEXSON (.206, 2-FOR-4) K JOHJIMA (.273, 0-FOR-4)</div>
AL: SEATTLE at TEXAS <div class="pre">SEATTLE (6) VS TEXAS (7) - END 8TH - IN PROGRESS SEATTLE ab r h rbi bb so lob avg I Suzuki cf 5 2 2 0 0 1 4 .345 A Beltre 3b 5 1 3 4 0 0 0 .274 R Ibanez lf 5 0 2 1 0 1 2 .260 J Guillen rf 4 0 2 0 1 2 2 .284 J Vidro dh 3 0 0 0 1 0 4 .303 R Sexson 1b 4 0 2 0 0 0 3 .206 K Johjima c 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 .273 J Lopez 2b 4 1 1 0 0 0 3 .268 Y Betancourt ss 3 1 2 0 0 1 0 .277 a-B Broussard ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .282 W Bloomquist pr-ss 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .292 Totals 38 6 15 5 2 5 22 a-doubled to deep right for Y Betancourt in the 8th. BATTING: 2B - A Beltre 3 (26, B McCarthy 2, J Benoit); I Suzuki (16, B McCarthy); R Ibanez 2 (24, W Eyre, J Benoit); B Broussard (4, J Benoit). RBI - A Beltre 4 (54), R Ibanez (60). 2-out RBI - A Beltre 3, R Ibanez. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - R Ibanez 1, R Sexson 1, J Guillen 2, I Suzuki 1, J Lopez 1. GIDP - K Johjima. Team LOB - 10. BASERUNNING: SB - I Suzuki (27, 2nd base off B McCarthy/G Laird). FIELDING: Outfield assists - I Suzuki (M Young at Home). TEXAS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg K Lofton cf 5 2 2 3 0 0 1 .303 M Young ss 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 .297 M Teixeira 1b 4 0 1 1 0 1 1 .299 S Sosa dh 3 0 0 0 1 1 1 .241 M Byrd rf 4 1 1 0 0 1 2 .350 F Catalanotto lf 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 .233 G Laird c 4 0 1 1 0 1 1 .237 R Vazquez 2b 3 2 2 2 1 0 1 .256 T Metcalf 3b 4 1 2 0 0 1 2 .253 Totals 34 7 12 7 2 5 9 BATTING: 2B - F Catalanotto (10, M Batista); G Laird (11, M Batista); M Teixeira (24, M Batista); M Young (27, E O'Flaherty); T Metcalf (10, J Putz). HR - K Lofton (7, 3rd inning off M Batista 1 on, 0 Out), R Vazquez (5, 8th inning off J Putz 1 on, 2 Out). S - F Catalanotto. RBI - G Laird (33), K Lofton 3 (23), M Teixeira (49), R Vazquez 2 (17). 2-out RBI - G Laird, R Vazquez 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - M Byrd 1, R Vazquez 1, K Lofton 1, S Sosa 1. Team LOB - 6. FIELDING: DP: 1 (M Young-R Vazquez-M Teixeira). ---------------------------------------------------- SEATTLE - 001 020 03 -- 6 TEXAS - 012 020 02 -- 7 ---------------------------------------------------- SEATTLE ip h r er bb so hr era M Batista 6 8 5 5 2 4 1 4.48 E O'Flaherty 2/3 1 0 0 0 0 0 3.37 S Green 1/3 1 1 1 0 0 0 2.75 G Sherrill 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.17 J Putz 2/3 2 1 1 0 1 1 0.96 TEXAS ip h r er bb so hr era B McCarthy 5 8 3 3 1 3 0 5.52 W Eyre 1 2/3 3 0 0 1 1 0 4.20 F Francisco 2/3 1 1 1 0 0 0 4.20 J Benoit 2/3 3 2 2 0 1 0 3.17 S Green pitched to 1 batter in the 8th. WP - B McCarthy, M Batista 2, S Green. Pitches-strikes: M Batista 101-59; E O'Flaherty 12-8; S Green 8-3; G Sherrill 2-1; J Putz 11-8; B McCarthy 101-64; W Eyre 34-20; F Francisco 10-7; J Benoit 17-10. Ground balls-fly balls: M Batista 8-5; E O'Flaherty 2-0; S Green 1-0; G Sherrill 1-0; J Putz 0-1; B McCarthy 6-6; W Eyre 1-3; F Francisco 2-0; J Benoit 0-1. Batters faced: M Batista 27; E O'Flaherty 3; S Green 2; G Sherrill 1; J Putz 4; B McCarthy 23; W Eyre 9; F Francisco 3; J Benoit 5. UMPIRES: HP--Bill Welke. 1B--Lance Barksdale. 2B--Gary Cederstrom. 3B--Jim Reynolds. Weather: 89 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 8 mph, in from center.</div>
AL: SEATTLE at TEXAS <div class="pre">AL AT TEXAS - MID INNING UPDATE PLAY: B Wilkerson in left field. SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS CURRENT SCORE: SEATTLE 6 TEXAS 7 TOP, 9TH DUE UP FOR SEATTLE: J Vidro (.303, 0-FOR-3)</div>
AL: SEATTLE at TEXAS <div class="pre">AL FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - SEATTLE 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 3 0 6 15 0 TEXAS 0 1 2 0 2 0 0 2 x 7 12 0 (FINAL) BATTERIES: SEA - MIGUEL BATISTA, ERIC O'FLAHERTY (7TH), SEAN GREEN (7TH), GEORGE SHERRILL (8TH), J.J. PUTZ (8TH) AND KENJI JOHJIMA TEX - BRANDON MCCARTHY, WILLIE EYRE (6TH), FRANK FRANCISCO (7TH), JOAQUIN BENOIT (8TH) AND GERALD LAIRD HOME RUNS: SEA - NONE TEX - KENNY LOFTON (7) OFF MIGUEL BATISTA IN THE 3RD, 1 ON RAMON VAZQUEZ (5) OFF J.J. PUTZ IN THE 8TH, 1 ON</div>
AL: SEATTLE at TEXAS <div class="pre">AL FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - SEATTLE 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 3 0 6 15 0 TEXAS 0 1 2 0 2 0 0 2 x 7 12 0 (FINAL) BATTERIES: SEA - MIGUEL BATISTA, ERIC O'FLAHERTY (7TH), SEAN GREEN (7TH), GEORGE SHERRILL (8TH), J.J. PUTZ (8TH) AND KENJI JOHJIMA TEX - BRANDON MCCARTHY, WILLIE EYRE (6TH), FRANK FRANCISCO (7TH), JOAQUIN BENOIT (8TH) AND GERALD LAIRD WP - JOAQUIN BENOIT (4-3) LP - J.J. PUTZ (1-1) SAVE - NONE HOME RUNS: SEA - NONE TEX - KENNY LOFTON (7) OFF MIGUEL BATISTA IN THE 3RD, 1 ON RAMON VAZQUEZ (5) OFF J.J. PUTZ IN THE 8TH, 1 ON TIME: 3:16 ATT: 34,853 PROBABLES: TEX - JAMEY WRIGHT (3-2, 4.15) KAN - BRIAN BANNISTER (6-6, 3.68) PROBABLES: OAK - DAN HAREN (11-3, 2.41) SEA - JEFF WEAVER (2-8, 6.19)</div>
AL: SEATTLE at TEXAS <div class="pre">SEATTLE (6) VS TEXAS (7) - FINAL SEATTLE ab r h rbi bb so lob avg I Suzuki cf 5 2 2 0 0 1 4 .345 A Beltre 3b 5 1 3 4 0 0 0 .274 R Ibanez lf 5 0 2 1 0 1 2 .260 J Guillen rf 4 0 2 0 1 2 2 .284 J Vidro dh 4 0 0 0 1 0 4 .302 R Sexson 1b 5 0 2 0 0 0 3 .205 K Johjima c 5 0 0 0 0 0 4 .272 J Lopez 2b 4 1 1 0 0 0 3 .268 Y Betancourt ss 3 1 2 0 0 1 0 .277 a-B Broussard ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .282 W Bloomquist pr-ss 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .292 Totals 41 6 15 5 2 5 22 a-doubled to deep right for Y Betancourt in the 8th. BATTING: 2B - A Beltre 3 (26, B McCarthy 2, J Benoit); I Suzuki (16, B McCarthy); R Ibanez 2 (24, W Eyre, J Benoit); B Broussard (4, J Benoit). RBI - A Beltre 4 (54), R Ibanez (60). 2-out RBI - A Beltre 3, R Ibanez. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - R Ibanez 1, R Sexson 1, J Guillen 2, I Suzuki 1, J Lopez 1. GIDP - K Johjima. Team LOB - 10. BASERUNNING: SB - I Suzuki (27, 2nd base off B McCarthy/G Laird). FIELDING: Outfield assists - I Suzuki (M Young at Home). TEXAS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg K Lofton cf 5 2 2 3 0 0 1 .303 M Young ss 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 .297 M Teixeira 1b 4 0 1 1 0 1 1 .299 S Sosa dh 3 0 0 0 1 1 1 .241 M Byrd rf 4 1 1 0 0 1 2 .350 F Catalanotto lf 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 .233 B Wilkerson lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .223 G Laird c 4 0 1 1 0 1 1 .237 R Vazquez 2b 3 2 2 2 1 0 1 .256 T Metcalf 3b 4 1 2 0 0 1 2 .253 Totals 34 7 12 7 2 5 9 BATTING: 2B - F Catalanotto (10, M Batista); G Laird (11, M Batista); M Teixeira (24, M Batista); M Young (27, E O'Flaherty); T Metcalf (10, J Putz). HR - K Lofton (7, 3rd inning off M Batista 1 on, 0 Out), R Vazquez (5, 8th inning off J Putz 1 on, 2 Out). S - F Catalanotto. RBI - G Laird (33), K Lofton 3 (23), M Teixeira (49), R Vazquez 2 (17). 2-out RBI - G Laird, R Vazquez 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - M Byrd 1, R Vazquez 1, K Lofton 1, S Sosa 1. Team LOB - 6. FIELDING: DP: 1 (M Young-R Vazquez-M Teixeira). ---------------------------------------------------- SEATTLE - 001 020 030 -- 6 TEXAS - 012 020 02x -- 7 ---------------------------------------------------- SEATTLE ip h r er bb so hr era M Batista 6 8 5 5 2 4 1 4.48 E O'Flaherty 2/3 1 0 0 0 0 0 3.37 S Green 1/3 1 1 1 0 0 0 2.75 G Sherrill (H, 16) 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.17 J Putz (L, 1-1; B, 1) 2/3 2 1 1 0 1 1 0.96 TEXAS ip h r er bb so hr era B McCarthy 5 8 3 3 1 3 0 5.52 W Eyre (H, 1) 1 2/3 3 0 0 1 1 0 4.20 F Francisco (H, 11) 2/3 1 1 1 0 0 0 4.20 J Benoit (W, 4-3; B, 3) 1 2/3 3 2 2 0 1 0 3.11 S Green pitched to 1 batter in the 8th. WP - B McCarthy, M Batista 2, S Green. Pitches-strikes: M Batista 101-59; E O'Flaherty 12-8; S Green 8-3; G Sherrill 2-1; J Putz 11-8; B McCarthy 101-64; W Eyre 34-20; F Francisco 10-7; J Benoit 26-16. Ground balls-fly balls: M Batista 8-5; E O'Flaherty 2-0; S Green 1-0; G Sherrill 1-0; J Putz 0-1; B McCarthy 6-6; W Eyre 1-3; F Francisco 2-0; J Benoit 1-3. Batters faced: M Batista 27; E O'Flaherty 3; S Green 2; G Sherrill 1; J Putz 4; B McCarthy 23; W Eyre 9; F Francisco 3; J Benoit 8. UMPIRES: HP--Bill Welke. 1B--Lance Barksdale. 2B--Gary Cederstrom. 3B--Jim Reynolds. T--3:16. Att--34,853. Weather: 89 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 8 mph, in from center.</div>
AL: SEATTLE at TEXAS <div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SEATTLE (6) AT TEXAS (7) - HOW THEY SCORED ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TEXAS 2ND: S Sosa grounded out to shortstop. M Byrd popped out to first. F Catalanotto doubled to deep left. G Laird doubled to left, F Catalanotto scored. R Vazquez grounded out to first. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) SEATTLE 0, TEXAS 1. SEATTLE 3RD: J Lopez grounded out to shortstop. Y Betancourt struck out swinging. I Suzuki reached on infield single to shortstop. I Suzuki stole second. A Beltre doubled to left, I Suzuki scored. R Ibanez popped out to second. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) SEATTLE 1, TEXAS 1. TEXAS 3RD: T Metcalf singled to left. K Lofton homered to right, T Metcalf scored. M Young flied out to right. M Teixeira grounded out to first. S Sosa struck out looking. (2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) SEATTLE 1, TEXAS 3. SEATTLE 5TH: Y Betancourt singled to left. I Suzuki doubled to deep right, Y Betancourt to third. A Beltre grounded out to shortstop, Y Betancourt scored, I Suzuki to third. I Suzuki scored on B McCarthy's wild pitch. R Ibanez grounded out to pitcher. J Guillen reached on infield single to third. J Vidro lined out to right. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) SEATTLE 3, TEXAS 3. TEXAS 5TH: R Vazquez walked. T Metcalf struck out swinging, R Vazquez to second on wild pitch by M Batista. R Vazquez to third on wild pitch by M Batista. K Lofton singled to center, R Vazquez scored. M Young singled to center, K Lofton to third. M Teixeira doubled to deep center, K Lofton scored, M Young thrown out at home. S Sosa walked. M Byrd flied out to center. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) SEATTLE 3, TEXAS 5. SEATTLE 8TH: K Johjima grounded out to shortstop. J Lopez singled to center. B Broussard hit for Y Betancourt. J Benoit relieved F Francisco. B Broussard doubled to deep right, J Lopez to third. W Bloomquist ran for B Broussard. I Suzuki flied out to center. A Beltre doubled to right, J Lopez and W Bloomquist scored. R Ibanez doubled to deep left, A Beltre scored. J Guillen struck out swinging. (3 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors) SEATTLE 6, TEXAS 5. TEXAS 8TH: W Bloomquist at shortstop. M Byrd singled to center. G Sherrill relieved S Green. F Catalanotto sacrificed to pitcher, M Byrd to second. J Putz relieved G Sherrill. G Laird struck out swinging. R Vazquez homered to center, M Byrd scored. T Metcalf doubled to deep right. K Lofton lined out to second. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) SEATTLE 6, TEXAS 7.</div>
Putz blows rare save as Rangers win fourth straight <h3>TEXAS 7, SEATTLE 6</h3>ARLINGTON, Texas (Ticker) -- J.J. Putz showed he is human. Putz served up a go-ahead two-run homer to Ramon Vazquez in theeighth inning as the Texas Rangers completed a three-game sweepof the Seattle Mariners with a 7-6 victory on Wednesday. Putz (1-1), who had not blown a save since last September, cameon with one out and allowed a two-run blast to center field asthe Seattle Mariners lost a season high-tying sixth straight. Vazquez hit a 2-0 pitch from Putz just over the wall for hisfirst home run in his last 145 at-bats. The American Leagueleader in saves, Putz had converted 31 straight saves dating tolast season and had tossed a career-high 22 1/3 scorelessinnings. His misfortune ruined a excellent night by Adrian Beltre. Hetied a Mariners franchise record with three doubles and drove infour runs, but it wasn't enough as they fell to 5-14 in Texassince 2005. Joaquin Benoit (4-3) picked up the win by throwing the final twoinnings, despite letting a two-run lead slip away in theeighth. With Seattle trailing, 5-3, in the eighth, Beltre hit a two-run<div class="pre">double to right off Benoit and Raul Ibanez followed with his</div>second double of the game to make it a 6-5 game. George Sherrill allowed the tying run to reach scoring positionand Putz was called on to get the final five outs but could notcome through. With the game tied at 3-3, Texas took the lead thanks to KennyLofton. Lofton, who had been just 2-for-20 in his last five games, hit atwo-run shot - his seventh of the season - in the third inningoff Brandon McCarthy and put the Rangers ahead, 5-3, with an RBIsingle in the fifth. Mark Teixeira had an RBI double one batter later and MichaelYoung added a pair of hits for the Rangers, who won theirseason-high fourth straight.
AL: SEATTLE at TEXAS <div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SEATTLE (6) AT TEXAS (7) - EVENT LOG ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Seattle Starting Lineups -- I Suzuki CF, A Beltre 3B, R Ibanez LF, J Guillen RF, J Vidro DH, R Sexson 1B, K Johjima C, J Lopez 2B, Y Betancourt SS, M Batista RHP. Texas Starting Lineups -- K Lofton CF, M Young SS, M Teixeira 1B, S Sosa DH, M Byrd RF, F Catalanotto LF, G Laird C, R Vazquez 2B, T Metcalf 3B, B McCarthy RHP. Umpires -- Bill Welke (HP), Lance Barksdale (1B), Gary Cederstrom (2B), Jim Reynolds (3B). Gametime Weather: 89 degrees, Partly Cloudy, wind in from center at 8 mph. SEATTLE 1ST: I Suzuki grounded out to shortstop. A Beltre doubled to deep right. R Ibanez struck out swinging. J Guillen struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) SEATTLE 0, TEXAS 0. TEXAS 1ST: K Lofton grounded out to second. M Young grounded out to third. M Teixeira struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) SEATTLE 0, TEXAS 0. SEATTLE 2ND: J Vidro walked. R Sexson flied out to center. K Johjima grounded into double play, shortstop to second to first, J Vidro out at second.(0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) SEATTLE 0, TEXAS 0. TEXAS 2ND: S Sosa grounded out to shortstop. M Byrd popped out to first. F Catalanotto doubled to deep left. G Laird doubled to left, F Catalanotto scored. R Vazquez grounded out to first. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) SEATTLE 0, TEXAS 1. SEATTLE 3RD: J Lopez grounded out to shortstop. Y Betancourt struck out swinging. I Suzuki reached on infield single to shortstop. I Suzuki stole second. A Beltre doubled to left, I Suzuki scored. R Ibanez popped out to second. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) SEATTLE 1, TEXAS 1. TEXAS 3RD: T Metcalf singled to left. K Lofton homered to right, T Metcalf scored. M Young flied out to right. M Teixeira grounded out to first. S Sosa struck out looking. (2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) SEATTLE 1, TEXAS 3. SEATTLE 4TH: J Guillen singled to center. J Vidro flied out to right. R Sexson singled to right center, J Guillen to second. K Johjima popped out to second. J Lopez flied out to right. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) SEATTLE 1, TEXAS 3. TEXAS 4TH: M Byrd struck out swinging. F Catalanotto grounded out to shortstop. G Laird fouled out to third. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) SEATTLE 1, TEXAS 3. SEATTLE 5TH: Y Betancourt singled to left. I Suzuki doubled to deep right, Y Betancourt to third. A Beltre grounded out to shortstop, Y Betancourt scored, I Suzuki to third. I Suzuki scored on B McCarthy's wild pitch. R Ibanez grounded out to pitcher. J Guillen reached on infield single to third. J Vidro lined out to right. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) SEATTLE 3, TEXAS 3. TEXAS 5TH: R Vazquez walked. T Metcalf struck out swinging, R Vazquez to second on wild pitch by M Batista. R Vazquez to third on wild pitch by M Batista. K Lofton singled to center, R Vazquez scored. M Young singled to center, K Lofton to third. M Teixeira doubled to deep center, K Lofton scored, M Young thrown out at home. S Sosa walked. M Byrd flied out to center. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) SEATTLE 3, TEXAS 5. SEATTLE 6TH: W Eyre relieved B McCarthy. R Sexson singled to left. K Johjima grounded into fielder's choice to second, R Sexson out at second. J Lopez fouled out to first. Y Betancourt singled to right, K Johjima to second. I Suzuki struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) SEATTLE 3, TEXAS 5. TEXAS 6TH: F Catalanotto grounded out to second. G Laird grounded out to third. R Vazquez reached on infield single to third. T Metcalf flied out to center. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) SEATTLE 3, TEXAS 5. SEATTLE 7TH: A Beltre popped out to second. R Ibanez doubled to deep center. J Guillen walked. J Vidro flied out to center. F Francisco relieved W Eyre. R Sexson grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, J Guillen out at second. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) SEATTLE 3, TEXAS 5. TEXAS 7TH: E O'Flaherty relieved M Batista. K Lofton grounded out to second. M Young doubled to right. M Teixeira grounded out to third. S Green relieved E O'Flaherty. M Young to third on wild pitch by S Green. S Sosa grounded out to third. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) SEATTLE 3, TEXAS 5. SEATTLE 8TH: K Johjima grounded out to shortstop. J Lopez singled to center. B Broussard hit for Y Betancourt. J Benoit relieved F Francisco. B Broussard doubled to deep right, J Lopez to third. W Bloomquist ran for B Broussard. I Suzuki flied out to center. A Beltre doubled to right, J Lopez and W Bloomquist scored. R Ibanez doubled to deep left, A Beltre scored. J Guillen struck out swinging. (3 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors) SEATTLE 6, TEXAS 5. TEXAS 8TH: W Bloomquist at shortstop. M Byrd singled to center. G Sherrill relieved S Green. F Catalanotto sacrificed to pitcher, M Byrd to second. J Putz relieved G Sherrill. G Laird struck out swinging. R Vazquez homered to center, M Byrd scored. T Metcalf doubled to deep right. K Lofton lined out to second. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) SEATTLE 6, TEXAS 7. SEATTLE 9TH: B Wilkerson in left field. J Vidro lined out to shortstop. R Sexson grounded out to third. K Johjima flied out to center. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) SEATTLE 6, TEXAS 7.</div>
Putz blows rare save as Rangers win fourth straight <h3>TEXAS 7, SEATTLE 6</h3>ARLINGTON, Texas (Ticker) -- J.J. Putz showed he is human. Putz served up a go-ahead two-run homer to Ramon Vazquez in theeighth inning as the Texas Rangers completed a four-game sweepof the Seattle Mariners with a 7-6 victory on Wednesday. Putz (1-1), who had not blown a save since last September, cameon with one out and allowed a two-run blast to center field asthe Seattle Mariners lost a season high-tying sixth straight. Vazquez hit a 2-0 pitch from Putz just over the wall for hisfirst home run in his last 145 at-bats. The American Leagueleader in saves, Putz had converted 31 straight saves dating tolast season and had tossed a career-high 22 1/3 scorelessinnings. His misfortune ruined a excellent night by Adrian Beltre. Hetied a Mariners franchise record with three doubles and drove infour runs, but it wasn't enough as they fell to 4-15 in Texassince 2005. Joaquin Benoit (4-3) picked up the win by throwing the final twoinnings, despite letting a two-run lead slip away in theeighth. With Seattle trailing, 5-3, in the eighth, Beltre hit a two-run<div class="pre">double to right off Benoit and Raul Ibanez followed with his</div>second double of the game to make it a 6-5 game. George Sherrill allowed the tying run to reach scoring positionand Putz was called on to get the final five outs but could notcome through. With the game tied at 3-3, Texas took the lead thanks to KennyLofton. Lofton, who had been just 2-for-20 in his last five games, hit atwo-run shot - his seventh of the season - in the third inningoff Brandon McCarthy and put the Rangers ahead, 5-3, with an RBIsingle in the fifth. Mark Teixeira had an RBI double one batter later and MichaelYoung added a pair of hits for the Rangers, who won theirseason-high fourth straight.
Putz blows rare save as Rangers win fourth straight <h3>TEXAS 7, SEATTLE 6</h3>ARLINGTON, Texas (Ticker) -- J.J. Putz showed he is human. Putz served up a go-ahead two-run homer to Ramon Vazquez in theeighth inning as the Texas Rangers completed a four-game sweepof the Seattle Mariners with a 7-6 victory on Wednesday. Putz (1-1), who had not blown a save since last September, cameon with one out and allowed a two-run blast to center field asthe Seattle Mariners lost a season high-tying sixth straight. Vazquez hit a 2-0 pitch from Putz just over the wall for hisfirst home run in his last 145 at-bats. The American Leagueleader in saves, Putz had converted 31 straight saves dating tolast season and had tossed a career-high 22 1/3 scorelessinnings. "It was a pretty good pitch," Putz said. "It didn't get all onthe way on the corner. All you can do is tip your cap. There'snot much I can say. He put a good swing on it. It was not thebest time to happen. We're playing good ball and we battleback. It's frustrating. We're losing tight ball games." It was Vazquez's fifth home run of the season and first sinceJune 15. "I was just hoping I'd get ahead in the count and that I'd get agood pitch to hit down in the zone, and I did get it," saidVazquez, who also singled and scored a run to snap a 2-for-13slump. "I just didn't want to miss it and I didn't." Putz'smisfortune ruined a excellent night by Adrian Beltre. He tied aMariners franchise record with three doubles and drove in fourruns, but it wasn't enough as they fell to 4-15 in Texas since2005. "The game didn't go the way we wanted," Seattle manager JohnMcLaren said. "We battled back. J.J. was well rested. He hadn't pitchedsince Friday. He was fresh. That's the reason we brought him in.No one feels worse than J.J. He's the ultimate gamer. He gaveit his best shot. We didn't expect Vazquez to homer. That wasthe big one. He's human, isn't he? I feel bad for him. He'llbounce back and be ready for the ball tomorrow night. Joaquin Benoit (4-3) picked up the win by throwing the final twoinnings, despite letting a two-run lead slip away in theeighth. "Nobody was down, that's the thing," said the Rangers' MarlonByrd, who singled to lead off the eighth and was on second whenVazquez homered. "The mindset of this team is changing, thatwe're about to win, regardless." With Seattle trailing, 5-3, in the eighth, Beltre hit a two-run<div class="pre">double to right off Benoit and Raul Ibanez followed with his</div>second double of the game to make it a 6-5 game. George Sherrill allowed the tying run to reach scoring positionand Putz was called on to get the final five outs but could notcome through. With the game tied at 3-3, Texas took the lead thanks to KennyLofton. Lofton, who had been 0-for-14 with runners in scoring positionover his last 15 games, hit a two-run shot - his seventh of theseason - in the third inning off Brandon McCarthy and put theRangers ahead, 5-3, with an RBI single in the fifth. "Kenny's been our catalyst since the season started," Washingtonsaid. "He's had some days where he might not get some hits,but he's our catalyst and he's capable of hitting the ball outof the park. He may not do it 15-20 times, but if you throw onein the wrong spot, he knows how to get the head of the bat onthe ball." Mark Teixeira had an RBI double one batter later and MichaelYoung added a pair of hits for the Rangers, who won theirseason-high fourth straight. "It's always good to have a sweep against a team, which we'vebeen coming close to winning games," Lofton said. "And haveeverybody do well, pitching doing well, hitting doing well, itwas an all-around effort, and all-around efforts are the onesyou want to see."
