Felix Hernandez Loses No-Hitter But Holds On For Win Over Rangers Friday

Seattle, WA (Sports Network) - Felix Hernandez took a no-hitter into the eighth inning, as the Seattle Mariners held on to edge the Texas Rangers, 2-1, and snap a seven-game losing streak.

Nelson Cruz broke up Hernandez's bid with a leadoff homer in the eighth, but that was the only run surrendered by the right-hander. He ended up allowing three total hits, walked one and struck out eight over eight frames.

Hernandez (12-11) walked Elvis Andrus to start the game, but retired 21 in a row before Cruz's homer. His performance lowered his ERA to 2.35, and was remarkable also because he had not had much success against Texas this season. In four prior starts, he had gone going 0-3 with a 6.38 ERA.

C.J. Wilson (14-7) turned in a solid start for the Rangers, limiting Seattle to two runs in eight innings. He gave up six hits, walked three and struck out six, but also threw a wild pitch that scored a run.

The Rangers entered this three-game series on a seven-game win streak, which helped them secure their place at the top of the AL West. But because second- place Oakland beat Minnesota earlier Friday, Texas' magic number for clinching the division remained eight.

Seattle got its runs early. Franklin Gutierrez opened the second by reaching on an infield single, and later moved to second on a groundout. He stole third with two away before scoring on Wilson's wild pitch.

Then in the third, Ichiro Suzuki singled with one away, stole second and third, and scored on Chone Figgins' single to center.

It was enough run support for Hernandez, who was cruising and ended the seventh by getting Vladimir Guerrero to ground out. But his chance at throwing the third no-hitter in Mariners history ended in the next inning.

Cruz stepped in and took a low slider before pouncing on a fastball in the zone, crushing the pitch to center field.

Hernandez got into more trouble in the inning, giving up consecutive one-out singles to Mitch Moreland and pinch-hitter Chris Davis. However, he got Julio Borbon to pop out before Andrus grounded out to end the inning.

David Aardsma tossed a 1-2-3 ninth to secure the win and earn his 30th save.

The two pitchers to throw a no-hitter in Seattle history are Randy Johnson (June 2, 1990) and Chris Bosio (April 22, 1993)...Guerrero had his 10-game hitting streak halted after going 0-for-4...It was revealed Friday that Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton, who has not played since September 4 because of a bruised right rib cage, received two cortisone injections Wednesday.

Nelson Cruz Ends Felix Hernandez No-Hit Bid With Solo Home Run In 8th Inning

Texas Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz ended Seattle Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez’s bid for a no-hitter Friday night with a solo home run to left-center field in the top of the 8th inning. The count was 1 ball and 0 strikes.

Hernandez had walked only batter to that point: Texas Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus in the top of the 1st inning.

Felix Hernandez Sets New Career Record For Strikeouts In A Season

Seattle Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez set a new career record for strikeouts in a season as he recorded his 218th strikeout of the 2010 MLB season Friday night against the Texas Rangers.

Felix, Mariners Open Three-Game Series With Rangers At Safeco Friday

(Sports Network) - The Texas Rangers attempt to move closer towards their first American League West title in 11 years when the current division leaders visit Seattle's Safeco Field tonight for the first of three straight matchups with the lowly Mariners.

Texas has a comfortable 10-game lead on second-place Oakland in the West standings and a magic number of eight to secure its first playoff appearance since 1999. The Rangers trimmed that figure some more with Wednesday's 11-7 victory over visiting Detroit, the team's seventh win in a row.

"We're playing well right now," said third baseman Michael Young. "We're happy with our style of play. We're just trying to stay focused on the task at hand."

Texas belted three homers in Wednesday's triumph, including a three-run shot by David Murphy in the bottom of the fourth inning that gave his club a commanding 8-2 lead. He finished with four RBI on the night.

Ian Kinsler also went deep and knocked in three runs for the Rangers, while Vladimir Guerrero added a solo shot to extend his hitting streak to 10 games. The former AL MVP is batting .375 (10-for-40) with two homers and eight RBI during his tear.

Colby Lewis (11-12) worked the first six innings for Texas and was reached for five runs, only two of which were earned, on four hits to win his second straight start following a string of seven consecutive losing decisions.

The Rangers seem to have a good chance to reduce their magic number further in this series. Texas has prevailed in 10 of 13 meetings with the last-place Mariners this season, including five of the six games held at Safeco Field, while Seattle comes in having lost seven in a row after being handed a 5-1 setback at home to Boston on Wednesday.

The Mariners mustered only six hits off Clay Buchholz and two Red Sox relievers, with Russell Branyan's solo homer in the first inning accounting for the team's only scoring.

Seattle did receive a solid start out of David Pauley (2-8), with the right- hander surrendering just two runs -- one earned -- on six hits over the first six innings.

"Everything was working pretty well today," said Pauley afterward. "I was throwing a lot of strikes and getting a lot of contact. It's one of those things, you go up against a guy like Buchholz, he's having a phenomenal year."

The Mariners will send out their best pitcher for tonight's series opener, with Felix Hernandez getting another shot to state his case for the AL's Cy Young Award. The Seattle ace leads the Junior Circuit with a 2.39 earned run average and ranks second in the league with 214 strikeouts, while his 11-11 record has mostly been the product of his team's anemic offense.

Hernandez didn't help his cause in his most recent outing, however, as the right-hander was roughed up for seven runs (four earned) in 6 1/3 innings in a road loss to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim last Saturday. Prior to that poor showing, he had yielded a mere one earned run over 45 innings spanning six starts from Aug.10-Sept. 5, posting a 4-1 record and striking out 57 batters during that excellent stretch.

The Venezuelan standout hasn't fared well against the Rangers, however, both this season and over the course of his career. Hernandez is 0-3 with a subpar 6.38 ERA in four previous encounters with Texas in 2010, and he's just 8-12 with a 4.16 ERA over 26 lifetime starts in this series.

Texas will turn to the suddenly-struggling C.J. Wilson this evening. After compiling a stellar 7-0 record and 1.99 ERA over his first nine starts since the All-Star break, the converted reliever has permitted 10 runs and lasted 8 1/3 innings in his last two trips to the mound.

Wilson was tagged for six runs and walked four batters over 5 1/3 shaky innings in a loss at AL Central leader Minnesota on September 5, and wasn't any better against the New York Yankees last Friday in Arlington. The left- hander was removed after only three innings after giving up four runs on six hits and walking three in an eventual no-decision.

The 29-year-old is 1-0 with a 3.71 ERA in three 2010 starts against Seattle, though he's been touched for five runs in 10 innings in a pair of Safeco Field assignments. In 41 career appearances (four starts) versus the Mariners, Wilson is 6-2 with seven saves and a 5.08 ERA.