Mariners fend off Rangers to grab first place in AL West

Ty France and Luis Urias hit two-run home runs as the Seattle Mariners defeated the Texas Rangers 4-3 Thursday afternoon in Arlington, Texas, to move past the hosts into first place in the American League West.

Nathaniel Lowe and Josh Smith hit solo homers for Texas, which lost for the fourth time in its past six games.

Mariners ace Luis Castillo (2-4) won his second straight start as Seattle took two of three games in the series to pull a half-game ahead of the defending World Series champions in the division. The right-hander went six innings and allowed two runs on four hits, with two walks and six strikeouts.

Seattle closer Andres Munoz retired the side in order in the ninth to record his third save of the season.

Rangers left-hander Andrew Heaney (0-3) took the loss. He gave up four runs on five hits over six innings, with no walks and seven strikeouts.

Urias broke a 2-2 tie by going deep to left-center field off Heaney with one out in the top of the fifth inning. The homer, on a 1-0 fastball, also scored Dylan Moore, who led off with a double to left.

The Rangers pulled within 4-3 on an unearned run in the seventh. Wyatt Langford reached on a one-out fielding error by shortstop Moore and scored as pinch-hitter Jonah Heim and Marcus Semien singled with two outs.

The Mariners, who have won seven of their past nine games, took a 2-0 lead in the first as Julio Rodriguez lined a leadoff single to center and, two outs later, France hit a 2-0 fastball the opposite way over the right-field wall.

The Rangers halved their deficit with two outs in the bottom of the inning as Lowe — who made his season debut Saturday after being sidelined with a right oblique strain — lined a 1-2 slider over the wall in right-center.

Texas tied it with one out in the bottom of the fourth as Smith hit a first-pitch fastball out to right field.

The Mariners were without shortstop J.P. Crawford, who was placed on the 10-day injured list earlier in the day with a right oblique strain. Catcher Cal Raleigh returned after missing Wednesday's game following dental surgery to extract a tooth.

The Rangers' Corey Seager served as the designated hitter after leaving Wednesday's game in the seventh inning with a left shin contusion sustained when he was hit by a pitch.

—Field Level Media