Rangers 5, Mariners 0
Derek Lowe and three others combined to throw 7 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of injured starter Nick Tepesch and A.J. Pierzynski and David Murphy homered as host Texas recorded its second straight shutout of Seattle.
Tepesch, making his third career start, was hit on the right arm by a Jesus Montero line drive with two outs in the second inning. He was lifted in favor of Lowe (1-0) because of what the Rangers called a right wrist contusion.
Lowe threw four perfect innings and Joe Ortiz, Tanner Scheppers and Jason Frasor did the rest. The quartet helped Texas outlast rookie Brandon Maurer (1-3), who gave up the two home runs and nothing else in 6 2/3 innings for the Mariners.
Maurer did not allow a hit until Pierzynski cranked a shot over the wall in center with one out in the fourth. The 22-year-old right-hander retired the next 10 hitters until Murphy took him deep with two outs in the seventh to make it 2-0.
Lowe needed 31 pitches to record 12 outs. Ortiz stranded a pair of runners in the sixth and Scheppers did the same in the seventh before Lance Berkman's two-run single and an RBI single by Pierzynski in the eighth gave the Rangers some breathing room.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Mariners had gone 48 straight games without being shut out before the series, but have gone 19 innings and 32 of the last 33 without scoring a run. ... The Rangers' team ERA fell to 2.72, just behind Boston's AL-leading 2.71 mark. ... Texas SS Elvis Andrus is hitless in 13 at-bats over his last three games.