By STEPHEN HAWKINS
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) _ Kyle Seager had a solo homer, a tiebreaking two-run triple and drove in four runs as the Seattle Mariners stretched their winning streak to six games with an 8-5 victory over the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night.
Domingo Santana hit his 21st homer for the Mariners (47-63), who matched their longest winning streak this year. They also won six in a row in April, during their 13-2 start to the season before an extended slump that dropped them to the bottom of the AL West.
Sam Tuivailala (1-0) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of starter Mike Leake, who allowed 10 hits and five runs in 5 2/3 innings. Roenis Elias worked the ninth for his 14th save in 16 chances.
Texas lost for the 18th time in 25 games and has an overall losing record for the first time since May 27. The Rangers (53-54) peaked at 10 games over .500 and were in position for one of the American League’s two wild-card spots a month ago, before their current slide.
The Rangers traded their most reliable reliever, right-hander Chris Martin, to Atlanta during the game.
Seattle, which had lost its last nine road games, blew a 5-1 lead when the Rangers chased Leake with four runs in the sixth. Danny Santana led off the inning with his 16th home run, and Rougned Odor had a two-run double before a RBI single by Delino DeShields tied the game.
After reliever Brett Martin (1-2) walked Daniel Vogelbach to start the seventh and was taken out, an error put two runners on before Seager tripled into the right-center gap. Austin Nola followed with an RBI groundout.
Seager went deep in the second, a drive to the left-center gap that hit off the heel of leaping center fielder DeShields’ glove and went over the eight-foot wall.
SHORT HOPS
Scott Servais became only the second Mariners manager to reach 300 wins. He is 300-296 since arriving in 2016. Lou Piniella had 840 wins in 10 seasons for Seattle. … Mariners OF Mallex Smith got his 100th career stolen base in the fourth inning. He immediately followed with No. 101, swiping third base when Texas was shifted and had only shortstop Elvis Andrus on the left side of the infield. … Seager has 27 homers, 96 RBIs and a .296 batting average in 148 career games against Texas.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Mariners: 2B Dee Gordon, out since July 23 with a left quad strain, will join the team in Houston this weekend and work out all three days. Servais said Gordon is feeling much better and might not be out as long as expected. If all goes well this weekend, Gordon will then go on a short rehab assignment.
UP NEXT
If the trade deadline passes Wednesday afternoon and All-Star lefty Mike Minor is still a member of the Rangers, he will start that night. Minor (8-6, 3.00) is 0-2 in his last four starts, including last Wednesday at Seattle. The Mariners are expected to use an opener before Wade LeBlanc (6-3, 4.79), who is 4-0 with a 2.86 ERA in nine appearances when he enters in that situation.