Rodríguez has leadoff HR, tiebreaking single as wild card-chasing Mariners beat Rangers 8-4

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Julio Rodríguez homered on the first pitch and had a tiebreaking RBI single in the sixth inning of his four-hit game, and the wild card-chasing Seattle Mariners beat the Texas Rangers 8-4 on Saturday night.

The Mariners (80-75) pulled within 1 1/2 games of Minnesota for the third AL wild card after the Twins were rained out in Boston. Detroit is a half-game behind Minnesota.

Seattle, which had a 10-game lead in the AL West in mid-June but now trails Houston by five with seven games remaining, is five games over .500 for the first time in more than a month.

“I think there's a good feeling going on in here,” interim manager Dan Wilson said. “I think the guys as a collective group are fighting together and there's a lot of confidence going.”

The seventh leadoff homer of the season for the Mariners, and the first for Rodríguez, came off Dane Dunning, who started for Max Scherzer when the three-time Cy Young Award winner was scratched.

Scherzer was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left hamstring strain, ending the season for the 40-year-old right-hander who is on an expiring contract. Various health issues limited Scherzer to nine starts.

Josh Smith hit a tying two-run homer in the third for the Rangers a night after the defending World Series champions were eliminated from postseason contention. The loss clinched a seventh losing record in the past eight seasons for Texas (73-82).

After homering twice in Seattle's 8-2 victory in the series opener, Rodríguez sent his 19th of the season to the opposite field in right on a 90 mph sinker from Dunning, who allowed seven hits and two runs in 3 2/3 innings.

Rodríguez, who had four RBIs, gave Seattle a 3-2 lead with the first of three consecutive run-scoring singles off José Leclerc in the sixth. Cal Raleigh and Randy Arozarena followed with theirs. Rodríguez added a two-run single in the ninth.

“He's just proving time and time again that he's hitting the ball hard,” Wilson said. “He's able to leave in any part of the ballpark. Going to right field to start the game was a big lift.”

Leclerc had replaced Andrew Chafin (4-3), who allowed the first three batters to reach in the sixth.

Arozarena preserved Seattle's 5-4 lead with a sprinting catch of a bases-loaded liner from Marcus Semien with two out in the sixth.

Dylan Moore made a lunging catch for Seattle on Nathaniel Lowe's smash down the line at first with one out and two on in the seventh. Moore had moved from second base after Justin Turner fouled a pitch off his foot and left the game following his inning-ending groundout in the sixth.

Austin Voth struck out Smith with runners at the corners to end the eighth when the lead was still one run. Emerson Hancock (4-4) allowed two runs in five innings.

“We did have a lot of chances,” Texas manager Bruce Bochy said. “One hit changes the whole game, changes the score. Tough luck. Marcus smokes that ball, bases loaded. That's all you can do.”

TRAINER'S ROOM

Mariners: OF Victor Robles was out of the lineup with an injured right middle finger that made gripping a bat and throwing difficult. But Robles did replace Polanco as a pinch runner in the ninth after Polanco's third hit. Robles scored from second base when he broke for third on a steal and scored on Walter Pennington's wild pitch.

Rangers: 3B Josh Jung has been sidelined for three games because of soreness in his surgically repaired right wrist. Jung missed three months after the wrist was fractured when he was hit by a pitch in the fourth game of the season.

UP NEXT

Seattle RHP Bryan Woo (8-3, 2.45 ERA) faces LHP Andrew Heaney (5-14, 3.89 ERA) in the series finale and Texas' final home game of the season.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodríguez (44) celebrates with teammates after a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Texas Rangers second base Marcus Semien, left, tags Seattle Mariners' J.P. Crawford out at second base as Crawford tries to the stretch a single into a double during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Dane Dunning throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Emerson Hancock throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Seattle Mariners' Julio Rodríguez is brushed back by a high inside pitch during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Texas Rangers' Travis Jankowski, right, reaches base against a tag by Seattle Mariners shortstop Dylan Moore, left, for a double hit during the second inning of a baseball game Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Seattle Mariners' Randy Arozarena (56) leaps scoring against Texas Rangers catcher Carson Kelly (18) on a single hit by Mariners Jorge Polanco during the first inning of a baseball game Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Texas Rangers' Josh Smith homers, left, in front of Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh during the third inning of a baseball game Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Seattle Mariners' Julio Rodríguez, left, celebrates after his home run with teammate Randy Arozarena (56) during the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

NASCAR champions Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr. were among the first four drivers knocked out of the playoffs Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, where Kyle Larson cruised to an easy victory.

The first of three elimination races in the 10-race playoffs began with Denny Hamlin, Truex, Keselowski and Harrison Burton all below the cutline and facing elimination from the 16-driver field.

Hamlin, a three-time Daytona 500 winner with four career wins at the track in Bristol, Tennessee, was never really worried and finished fourth.

“My aspiration was winning,” Hamlin said. “It's as good as what we've been here the last couple times. It's all offense from this point forward.”

Burton, who used a surprise win at Daytona last month to qualify for the playoffs in the final few weeks before he loses his seat with Wood Brothers Racing, was doubtful to recover enough to advance and finished 35th. Keselowski, the 2012 Cup champion, and 2017 champion Truex had a better shot at salvaging their playoffs but both came up empty.

Truex was penalized for speeding on pit road, taking him out of contention to advance, and Keselowski just didn't have the pace. Joe Gibbs Racing also had two of its four cars eliminated from the playoffs as Ty Gibbs was also penalized for speeding.

Keselowski finished 26th.

“Didn't have the pace we wanted. We ran as hard as we could, there just wasn't anything there,” Keselowski said. “Just gotta be faster.”

Truex is retiring from full-time racing at the end of the season.

“That kind of screws up your whole season,” Truex said of the speeding penalty. “It's on me. It was my mistake. Just really sad for my guys. We had a really good car. I hate I screwed it up, would have at least tried to see what we could do.”

Larson, meanwhile, led 462 of 500 laps, the most since Cale Yarborough led 495 laps in 1977. Larson's laps led is the most ever by a Hendrick Motorsports driver and marked the fifth win of the season for the driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet.

He led all but 38 laps at Bristol.

It's an impressive stat considering the Hendrick team has fielded cars for Hall of Fame drivers Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Terry Labonte and Dale Earnhardt Jr., among others.

“That's pretty awesome because there's been some legendary Hall of Famers race for Hendrick Motorsports, and we've all grown up watching Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson dominate,” Larson said. “So pretty cool to get my name on another record at Hendrick Motorsports.”

Daniel Suarez, who finished four laps down in 31st, squeezed out the final spot into the second round of the playoffs by 11 points over Gibbs.

Also advancing were Chase Elliott, who finished second, Christopher Bell, who finished fifth, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Chase Briscoe, William Byron, Austin Cindric and Alex Bowman.

Hendrick's entire four-car Chevrolet lineup advanced, as did all three Ford drivers from Team Penske. But Toyota lost a pair of JGR entries, and Ford lost two cars in Keselowski and Burton.

Corey LaJoie had already been told by Spire Motorsports it was not bringing him back next year, which gave him the rest of this season to finish out strong.

Then Spire threw him a lifeline with an unusual driver swap with Rick Ware Racing that will move Justin Haley into the Spire No. 7. LaJoie will replace Haley at RWR starting next week at Kansas Speedway.

While Haley's deal guarantees him the seat in 2025, LaJoie will have to earn the RWR ride. But in the meantime, he wanted one final good finish with Spire. He qualified ninth and was running 11th when he was involved in a crash that essentially ended his career with Spire.

NASCAR opens the second round of the playoffs at Kansas Speedway, where Tyler Reddick won last fall and Larson won in May. Bell takes a six-point lead over Larson into Kansas.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Kyle Larson (5) battles with Martin Truex Jr. (19) as they go into Turn 3 during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Bristol, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

John Hunter Nemechek (42) spins while coming out of Turn 4 as Kaz Grala (15) and Josh Bilicki (66) avoid him during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Bristol, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

Alex Bowman (48) leads Kyle Larson (5) and Martin Truex Jr. (19) at the start of a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Bristol, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

Kyle Larson (5) leads Justin Haley (51) and Todd Gilliland (38) during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Bristol, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

Kyle Larson, center, celebrates with his son Owen after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Bristol, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)