EditorsNote: revises sequence in eighth graf
Pedro Payano pitched five strong innings to earn his first major league victory as the Texas Rangers snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 7-2 decision against the host Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night.
Rougned Odor homered twice and Shin-Soo Choo and Nomar Mazara also went deep for the Rangers, who moved back above .500 at 51-50.
The Mariners lost for the 16th time in their past 20 games and failed in their bid to win consecutive games for the first time since June 25-26.
Payano, a 24-year-old right-hander recalled from the minor leagues earlier in the day, entered in the second inning after left-hander Brett Martin, serving as the opener, allowed a run in the first.
Payano (1-0) gave up one run on three hits, walked one and struck out seven.
Mariners left-hander Tommy Milone (1-5) allowed six runs on nine hits in six innings, with no walks and five strikeouts.
The Rangers took an early lead as Choo hit the game's first pitch over the wall in left-center field for his 17th home run of the season.
The Mariners tied it in the bottom of the inning as Mallex Smith led off with a single, took second on a wild pitch and scored on a two-out single by Omar Narvaez.
The Rangers scored twice in the second and thrice in the third to take a 6-1 lead.
Odor led off the second with a single and moved to third as Logan Forsythe hit a shallow fly ball to right field that fell just in front of Mariners outfielder Domingo Santana. Asdrubal Cabrera's sacrifice fly scored one run, and Tim Federowicz's grounder into center scored another.
Mazara led off the third with a home run into the upper deck in right field, only the fourth player to accomplish that feat in a game, joining Mo Vaughn, Carlos Delgado and the Mariners' Daniel Vogelbach. Mazara's 14th homer of the year traveled an estimated 458 feet.
With one out, Joey Gallo put a bunt down the third base line against the shift for a hit and advanced to second on Milone's throwing error trying to get Gallo at first. Odor then hit a two-run shot to right-center field.
The Mariners scored their lone run off Payano in the fifth as Kristopher Negron singled with one out and scored on J.P. Crawford's two-out double to right.
Odor homered again in the eighth, his 17th, off right-hander Matt Magill.
--Field Level Media
