SEATTLE (AP) Marco Gonzales became the first pitcher to reach five wins this season and the Seattle Mariners chased Texas’ Taylor Hearn in the first inning of his major league debut, beating the Rangers 14-2 Thursday night.
Gonzales (5-0) matched his career high with nine strikeouts, allowed six hits and didn’t walk a batter in seven scoreless innings, another flawless start for the Mariners’ No. 1 pitcher.
The Mariners remained patient while Hearn (0-1) struggled to find the strike zone. Called up from Triple-A Nashville, the left-hander walked the first batter on four pitches, then issued two more walks to load the bases.
Tim Beckham’s grounder to third brought in Seattle’s first run, and Ryon Healy drove a bases-clearing double into the left-field corner for a 4-0 lead.
Hearn issued his fourth walk, and then first baseman Logan Forsythe dropped a foul popup before Hearn allowed another single to load the bases again. Manager Chris Woodward pulled Hearn at that point after 39 pitches, his ERA at 108.00.
Seattle piled on starting in the fourth and didn’t allow a run until the eighth, when Roenis Elias relieved Gonzales.
Healy finished 3 for 5 with three RBIs and three runs. Beckham hit his sixth home run during a three-run seventh, and the Mariners ended a three-game skid with 14 hits a night after being held to two in a 1-0 shutout at San Diego.
Gonzales became the first Mariners pitcher to reach five wins before May. He did it by allowing no more than one baserunner per inning, and only one of those reached second. Seattle is 6-1 when Gonzales takes the mound.
The Rangers have lost four straight and find their pitching staff in disarray after injuries and unexpected bullpen usage in a 6-5 walk-off loss at Oakland on Wednesday night. Already down a starter and uncertain what the rotation will look like next week, Woodward was forced to use five relievers against the Mariners. Each gave up at least one hit.
ONE AND DONE
Japanese rookie LHP Yusei Kikuchi will be making a scheduled ”abbreviated” appearance Friday for Seattle, likely pitching no more than an inning.
”I told him get ready for your start as if you’re going to throw 95 pitches, you’re just not going to,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said.
The Mariners plan to have Kikuchi make these short starts a few times during his rookie season to combat a trend the team sees in other Japanese pitchers who have made the transition to the major leagues. In his native country, starters pitch just once a week and seem to tail off after a season or two when coming to the U.S.
”It’s just a way to allow him to pull back, kind of recharge the batteries a little bit, and keep an extended life on those batteries as the season goes on,” Servais said.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rangers: LHP Drew Smyly threw on the side before Thursday’s game and will get another session in Friday before the team decides if he’s ready to return from nerve pain in his throwing arm. Smyly could miss up to two games, but Woodward thinks he’ll be back sooner than expected. … 2B Rougned Odor made his second straight rehab start with Triple-A Nashville on Thursday night. He’s rehabilitating a right knee strain. … 3B Asdrubal Cabrera left the game after the first inning with tightness in his left calf.
Mariners: Jay Bruce (quad) sat out again after injuring his quad Monday. Servais said he could be back in a day or two.
UP NEXT
Rangers: RHP Shelby Miller (1-1, 7.63) is looking for his second straight win during a shaky start to the season that’s included just 15 innings pitched in four starts with more than twice as many walks (13) as strikeouts (six).
Mariners: While Kikuchi (1-1, 4.68) will make the start, top prospect Justus Sheffield has been called up from Triple-A Tacoma to handle the bulk of the work. This is Sheffield’s first appearance for the Mariners since being acquired in a deal that sent pitcher James Paxton to the New York Yankees last year.
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