Wed May 7 01:27:07 2008

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Ponson strong on mound as Rangers pound Mariners

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Seattle, WA (Sports Network) - Sidney Ponson threw seven brilliant innings to lead the Texas Rangers in a 10-1 rout of the Seattle Mariners in the second of a four-game set from Safeco Field.

Ponson (2-0) got the win after he allowed just one run on seven hits in his time on the hill for the Rangers, who have won five of their last seven contests. Josh Hamilton, David Murphy and Michael Young all had three RBI. Ramon Vazquez was the only Ranger with two hits.

Ichiro Suzuki went 1-for-2 with a double and had the only RBI for the Mariners, who have lost six of their last seven contests. Wladimir Balentien went 2-for-4 with a double and scored Seattle's only run.

Miguel Batista (2-4) took the loss after he was touched for six runs on three hits and six walks in just 2 1/3 innings.

The Rangers wasted no time in getting on the board. Ian Kinsler led off the game with a double, and Young and Hamilton drew walks to load the bases. Milton Bradley then cracked an RBI groundout, and Murphy followed with a sacrifice fly to right.

Texas tacked on another in the second. Vazquez led the frame off with a double and moved to third on Kinsler's sac bunt. Young then hit a sac fly to right.

The Rangers blew it open with a seven-run third inning. Bradley led off the frame with a walk and Murphy made the Mariners pay, as he crushed a homer over the fence in right. Brandon Boggs then struck out and Frank Catalanotto worked a walk, which led to Cha Seung Baek replacing Batista on the hill.

Baek got Jarrod Saltalamacchia to fly out to center, but Vazquez singled and Kinsler drew a walk. Young then clubbed a single, which brought Catalanotto and Vazquez to the plate, and left runners on the corners. Hamilton cleared the bases with a three-run blast to right -- his seventh on the year -- to put the Rangers on top 10-0.

The seven-run third was the biggest inning of the year for Texas.

Back-to-back doubles from Balentien and Suzuki led to Seattle's only run of the game in the fifth.

Game Notes

Seattle hasn't posted consecutive wins since April 20-22 and has gone 3-10 since that mild streak...Tuesday's win was Texas' second in its last 10 tries at Safeco Field...The crowd of 15,818 was the smallest ever at Safeco Field.