ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Nelson Cruz hit one of four Seattle homers, fellow former Texas player Leonys Martin had a tiebreaking double and the Mariners bounced back from an opening day loss to beat the Rangers 10-2 Tuesday night.
Scott Servais, who spent six years in player development with Texas, got his first win as a manager while having a shouting match with reigning AL Manager of the Year Jeff Banister.
The pair exchanged words after former Seattle reliever Tim Wilhelmsen hit Chris Iannetta with a pitch. Wilhelmsen, who was ejected, had just given up the second of two homers along with two doubles without getting an out in a six-run Seattle eighth.
Nick Vincent (1-0) pitched a scoreless sixth inning.
Texas reliever Tony Barnette (0-1) lost in his major league debut at age 32 after six seasons in Japan.
Robinson Cano homered for the second straight game and on the first pitch as a Ranger from Wilhelmsen, who spent his first five big league seasons with the Mariners.
Cruz, who reached base four times and scored three runs, and Kyle Seager doubled. After Seth Smith homered — again on the first pitch — Wilhelmsen’s next pitch hit Iannetta on the left thigh.
The Seattle catcher, who was with the Los Angeles Angels last season, yelled at the right-hander as he walked up the line. The managers emerged from the dugouts, eventually pointing at each other and shouting.
The umpires cleared the field without any major trouble, and Luis Sardinas, another former Texas player, hit his first major league homer to cap six straight Seattle batters reaching to start the inning.
Seattle starter Hisashi Iwakuma couldn’t hold a 2-0 lead while going for his seventh consecutive win against Texas. The Japanese right-hander allowed consecutive run-scoring singles to Elvis Andrus and Robinson Chirinos with two outs in the fourth.
Texas starter Martin Perez gave up two runs and two hits in six innings, including a line-drive homer from Cruz in the fourth.
Smith scored from first on Martin’s decisive two-out hit in the seventh after greeting Barnette with a single. Nori Aoki followed with an RBI single for his first hit with Seattle.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rangers: RHP Yu Darvish (Tommy John surgery) threw a 50-pitch bullpen session. He is expected back in May after missing all of last season.
UP NEXT
Mariners: LHP Wade Miley makes his Seattle debut after coming over in an offseason trade with Boston. He is 1-2 with a 3.86 ERA in three career starts against Texas.
Rangers: RHP Colby Lewis opens his 11th big league season and ninth with Texas coming off career bests of 17 wins and 204 2/3 innings. The 36-year-old Lewis lost an eight-inning complete game at Seattle, 4-2, last August.