Odor homers twice, Gomez hits slam as Rangers rout Mariners
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Rougned Odor followed his game-ending shot Tuesday night with two more homers Wednesday, and the Texas Rangers completed a sweep of the Seattle Mariners.
New teammate Carlos Gomez had the blast that mattered most in finishing off the three-game set - a grand slam off Felix Hernandez that sent the Rangers on their way to a 14-1 romp over the Mariners.
After sinking Seattle to third in the AL West, the division-leading Rangers get three at home against second-place Houston, which comes in a lot hotter than the Mariners but still 8 1/2 games back.
"So far the body of work speaks for itself," Texas manager Jeff Banister said. "We still have some work to do."
Odor tied a career high with five RBIs and Adrian Beltre and Ryan Rua also homered as the Rangers tied their season high with five homers. Texas (80-54) moved a season-high 26 games over .500 with a fifth straight win and gave Seattle its fifth loss in a row.
The Mariners went 1-6 on a trip that started at the Chicago White Sox after finishing a homestand with two straight losses to the Yankees.
"We need to pick it up, no doubt," manager Scott Servais said. "Guys are down a little bit and rightfully so."
The Rangers matched the 1999 and 2012 Texas teams as the fastest to reach 80 wins.
Odor had a two-run shot for a 10-0 lead in the seventh and a three-run homer in the eighth, and leads the team with 27 home runs. On Tuesday night, his two-run homer in the ninth gave Texas an 8-7 win.
"We've been playing well," Odor said. "We're just going to try to do the same thing the next game."
Martin Perez (9-10) pitched six shutout innings despite giving up seven hits and three walks.
Hernandez (9-5) matched a season high by allowing six runs in his shortest outing, coming out after four innings in his first loss since May 27.
Beltre's 25th homer of the season was a two-run shot in the fifth.
GOMEZ SLAM
Gomez, who will face his former team for the first time this weekend less than a month after the Astros released him, hit a soaring fly ball about a dozen rows above the 14-foot wall in left field for his second grand slam this season and a 6-0 lead in the fourth. The other slam also was against Seattle on July 17 when he was still with Astros.
Gomez has three hits in two games since ending a 0-for-18 skid following a homer in his first at-bat for Texas. He has seven homers this season.
"I think the ability to come into our mix on this team and not be asked to be the man, the main player, has relaxed him a little bit and allowed him to get going," Banister said.
CAMINERO EJECTION
Seattle reliever Arquimedes Caminero was ejected after hitting Texas' Elvis Andrus with a pitch in the seventh. Caminero hit Andrus in the ribs with a high 98 mph fastball two batters after allowing Odor's two-run homer. In the second inning, Andrus ran into Mariners first baseman Dae-Ho Lee while running out a groundball. Andrus tried to apologize, but Lee didn't look pleased.
Caminero was ejected May 24 while with Pittsburgh after hitting two Arizona batters in the head.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Mariners: DH Nelson Cruz missed his second straight game with a nerve issue in his left hand that affects his grip on the bat. Servais said he was responding to medication and should be in the lineup Friday against the Los Angeles Angels. The Mariners are off Thursday. ... Servais said he expects LHP James Paxton to make his next start after he ripped a fingernail Tuesday.
UP NEXT
Both teams are off Thursday. Seattle LHP Ariel Miranda (1-1, 4.98 ERA) will open a home series against the Angels on Friday night. Texas RHP A.J. Griffin (6-3, 4.39) gets the opener of a home series against Houston, which has won 10 of 12.