Rangers fall 3–2 to Mariners despite Burger and Seager home runs

The Rangers hit two solo home runs and put the tying run at second base in the ninth inning, but Seattle held on for a 3–2 win Wednesday. Cole Young’s two-run double in the fourth supplied the margin Texas could not erase, even after Corey Seager brought the Rangers within one in the eighth.

Jake Burger opened the scoring with a home run to center in the second. Seattle answered in the bottom half when Taylor Ward singled home Cal Raleigh. The game stayed level until the Mariners built their decisive rally with two outs in the fourth against Cody Bradford.

After Raleigh flied out and Julio Rodríguez grounded out, Josh Naylor singled to center. Ward followed with a walk, and Young doubled to right to score both runners. What had been a clean start to the inning became a 3–1 Seattle lead on three consecutive plate appearances.

Bradford finished with three earned runs allowed on four hits and two walks in four innings. He struck out one and threw 63 pitches, 43 for strikes. Texas kept the game close after his departure: Tyler Alexander worked two hitless innings, and Trevor Williams and Robby Ahlstrom each added a scoreless inning. The three relievers combined to allow two hits and one walk.

Seattle starter Kade Anderson gave the Rangers little beyond Burger’s homer. Anderson allowed six hits but only one run over six innings, walking one and striking out five. He used 81 pitches, including 55 strikes, before Seranthony Domínguez handled a scoreless seventh.

Seager led off the eighth with a home run to left against Gabe Speier. That cut Seattle’s lead to 3–2, but Speier retired Justin Foscue, Brandon Nimmo and Wyatt Langford to keep the tying run off base for the rest of the inning.

Texas had one more chance against Andrés Muñoz. Burger drew a leadoff walk in the ninth, and pinch-runner Cam Cauley advanced to second on Joc Pederson’s groundout to the pitcher. Muñoz then struck out pinch-hitter Nicky Lopez and Evan Carter, leaving Cauley stranded and ending the game.

Seager and Nimmo each went 2-for-4, accounting for four of the Rangers’ seven hits. Burger reached twice with his homer and walk, while Foscue added a single and a walk. Langford went hitless in four at-bats with three strikeouts. Texas finished with seven hits to Seattle’s six, but its only runs came on the two solo shots; Young’s double delivered the game’s only multi-run scoring play.

Statistics and scoring sequence are from ESPN’s final box score and play-by-play.