Harrison tosses 5-hitter as Rangers beat Mariners

SEATTLE – Matt Harrison tossed a five-hitter for his 12th victory, Adrian Beltre had three hits and two RBIs, and the Texas Rangers beat the Seattle Mariners 4-0 on Sunday afternoon.

Harrison's 12th win kept him even with Tampa Bay's David Price for the most in the American League and continued his streak against the Mariners. Harrison (12-4) has won eight straight starts against Seattle and is 5-0 all-time at Safeco Field. The eight straight wins over one team is the third longest streak in Rangers' history. Charlie Hough won 13 straight against Cleveland and nine straight against Minnesota.

It was the fourth complete-game shutout for Harrison and second this season, also tossing a five-hitter against San Francisco last month. And he did it mostly without the strikeout. Harrison fanned three, tied for his season-low.

Harrison threw 114 pitches and allowed just four singles and Brendan Ryan's two-out double in the fifth inning.

Ian Kinsler added his 10th homer of the season on the first pitch of the fifth inning off Seattle starter Hisashi Iwakuma (1-2), who struggled through five innings. But it was Beltre an inning earlier that gave Harrison cushion to work with as the Rangers took two of three from the Mariners to begin the second half of the season.

Craig Gentry opened the fourth inning with a single and Elvis Andrus doubled to right with one-out. Instead of taking their chances, the Mariners intentionally walked Josh Hamilton to load the bases. Beltre followed by bouncing a single through the left side of the infield to score Gentry and Andrus and the second of his three singles. Beltre was robbed of a fourth hit when Chone Figgins jumped and pulled down his line drive in the eighth.

Hamilton added an RBI groundout in the first inning, his Major League-leading 76th of the season.

Seattle got base runners against Harrison, but could never get a two-out hit. Three times in the first five innings the Mariners had runners in scoring position with two outs and failed to get them home. Seattle threatened again in the seventh after a one-out single by Michael Saunders and walk to Figgins. But Harrison got Ryan to ground into a double play — with a nice pick by Michael Young at first base — to end the threat.

Mariners rookie Jesus Montero singled in the first inning to snap an 0-for-23 skid. But that was it for the Mariners offensive highlights, as they scored two or less runs for the fourth time in six games. The 11 shutouts are tied with Oakland for most in the majors.

NOTES: Texas won a road series against an AL West foe for the first time this season. ... Rangers manager Ron Washington said RHP Alexi Ogando could rejoin the team on Tuesday in Oakland. Ogando has been on the DL since June 12 with a groin strain. Ogando has been on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Round Rock. ... Sunday was the 13th anniversary of the opening of Safeco Field.