Surging Seattle Mariners outlast Texas Rangers in 10 innings, extend winning streak to 13 games

ARLINGTON, Texas — J.P. Crawford hit an RBI single in the 10th inning and the Seattle Mariners stretched their winning streak to 13 games, defeating the Texas Rangers 3-2 on Saturday.

Carlos Santana homered as the Mariners (50-42) moved closer to the club-record 15-game winning streak set in their last playoff season in 2001. They have won 21 of their past 24 games overall to take eight series in a row, their most since winning 14 straight sets during that 116-win season 21 years ago.

Seattle would match the longest winning streak in the majors this year with a victory in the series finale Sunday, its final game before the All-Star break. Reigning World Series champion Atlanta won 14 games in a row last month.

Crawford chopped a one-out single down the line past first base off Brett Martin (0-5), who was the fifth Texas pitcher and went the last two innings. That scored automatic runner Sam Haggerty, who came on as a pinch runner for Santana, who had an inning-ending groundout in the ninth.

A confident Haggerty told Seattle manager Scott Servais before the inning began that he could steal third base off Martin, and Servais went along with it. «If you feel it, take it,» Servais said. «Don't play scared.»

«Made our jobs a whole lot easier,» Crawford said of the stolen base. «Changed the whole infield. Now a lot of more holes are open, and we have an extra opportunity not to waste an out to try to get him over. Just get him in.»

Diego Castillo (7-1) faced only three batters in the ninth, benefitting from a double-play liner after walking the leadoff batter. Matthew Festa struck out the side in the 10th for his first save.

«Today, we had a chance to win the game and we didn't,» Texas manager Chris Woodward said. «We didn't