Luis Castillo bounced back strong after a tough first inning, Julio Rodríguez drove in the deciding run on a groundout in the third, and the Seattle Mariners defeated the Texas Rangers 3-2 on Friday night.
Castillo initially gave up two runs in the first inning, including hits by Nathaniel Lowe and Wyatt Langford. However, he settled down quickly and retired 14 of the next 15 batters he faced. Castillo allowed only one more hit, a double by Adolis García in the sixth inning, over his six innings of work.
He finished with seven strikeouts while giving up four hits and two earned runs.
The Mariners responded after falling behind early when Mitch Garver hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning to tie the game.
Seattle took the lead in the third inning when J.P. Crawford scored on a fielder’s choice. Rodríguez hit a ground ball to third base with runners on the corners, allowing Crawford to cross the plate as the Rangers executed a force play at second base.
Andrew Heaney started for the Rangers and pitched 4 2/3 innings, conceding three earned runs on six hits and three walks. He struck out four batters before José Ureña took over and pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings in relief.
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy was ejected from the game in the fourth inning after arguing that Mariners left fielder Victor Robles should have been called out for running inside the baseline on a bunt attempt.
Ryne Stanek closed the game for the Mariners in the ninth inning, earning his sixth save of the season.
