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 Hernandez pitched eight scoreless innings and Tom Wilhelmsen
finished as the Rangers (73-65) were unable to score a run for the
second game in a row.
Texas has struggled through 18 consecutive scoreless innings while
falling 2 1/2 games behind first-place Houston in the American
League West standings.
"We've got to find a way to get this offense going in the right
direction," manager Jeff Banister said.
Cruz went 2-for-4 in his first game in a week, hitting a two-run
homer in the seventh inning that essentially put the game out of
reach. Cruz matched his career-high total of 40 home runs, which he
did last year as a member of the Baltimore Orioles.
"Numbers are numbers," Cruz said with a shrug. "I'm just focused on
games and what I'm able to do to help my team win games."
Left fielder Mark Trumbo added two hits and two RBIs as Seattle
(68-73) won for the seventh time in nine games.
Hernandez (17-8) gave up three hits while striking out eight. He
allowed only one runner past first base before Texas put two runners
on base against Wilhelmsen in the ninth.
"He's looked the best since I've been here," Cruz said of Hernandez.
"He's even got his curveball working. He looks in form."
Two weeks ago, having endured a rough stretch at the beginning of
August, Hernandez made a minor tweak in his delivery that has
allowed him to keep his pitches lower in the strike zone. It has
resulted in a three-start stretch that has seen Hernandez go 3-0
while posting a 1.88 ERA.
"It's just keeping the ball down," said Hernandez, who matched
Houston's Dallas Keuchel for the most wins in the AL (17). "I've got
the slider, and my changeup is good, too."
Texas was held to five hits and no runs in the final two games of
the series. The Rangers also had three errors Thursday, one more
than in the previous 13 games combined.
"We don't like it, but it happens," Banister said of his team's
sloppy defense. "This time of year, it's not exactly the way you
want to play the game."
Cruz sparked a two-out rally in the first. He singled and moved to
third on Robinson Cano's double before red-hot left fielder Mark
Trumbo drove in both with a double into the right-field corner.
The double gave Trumbo hits in five consecutive at-bats while
extending his hitting streak to a career-best 12 games.
Texas, which made just two errors in its previous 13 games, had two
errors in the fifth inning.
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A botched grounder by second baseman Rougned Odor followed by an
off-target throw from pitcher Derek Holland on an attempted pick-off
at second left runners on second and third with one out. But Holland
was able to get out of the jam with a strikeout and inning-ending
groundout.
Seattle extended its lead to 3-0 in the seventh on a one-out RBI
single from shortstop Ketel Marte. Catcher Jesus Sucre led off with
a double, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Marte's
single up the middle.
Cruz took Holland deep for the two-run shot in the seventh,
extending Seattle's lead while hitting the 40-homer milestone for
the second year in a row.
"Pretty good," he said. "We won, and that's the good thing."
The Rangers' only real scoring threat came in the second inning,
when first baseman Mitch Moreland led off with a double and moved to
third base on a two-out wild pitch. But Hernandez got out of that
without any damage and didn't allow another runner to reach second
base.
Holland gave up five runs and nine hits in seven innings, his worst
outing in six appearances this season.
NOTES: Rangers OF Josh Hamilton will undergo arthroscopic knee
surgery Friday, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. It's believed
to be a minor procedure, and the Rangers hope to have him back as a
pinch hitter before the end of the season. He has made only two
appearances, both as a pinch hitter, since coming off the disabled
list last week. ... Mariners DH Nelson Cruz was back in the lineup
Thursday after missing six games with a strained quad muscle. ...
Seattle LHP James Paxton threw a bullpen session and appears likely
to start Sunday against the Rockies. Paxton hasn't pitched in a
major-league game since late May, due to a strained finger in his
pitching hand. ... Texas CF Delino DeShields continues to be
bothered by a sore knee. DeShields was not in the lineup Thursday,
marking the third consecutive day that he was out. ... The Mariners
salvaged a series split with the win. The last time Seattle had
dropped a series was Aug. 21-23, when the Mariners lost two of three
to the Chicago White Sox.
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