Chris Flexen pitched seven shutout innings as the Seattle Mariners defeated the visiting Texas Rangers 5-0 Thursday night in the opener of a four-game series between the American League West rivals.

Tom Murphy and Jacob Nottingham, who both came into the game batting .138, homered for the Mariners. Seattle has won three of four since a season-worst, six-game losing streak and improved to 20-8 in games in which it scores four or more runs.

Left-hander Kolby Allard (1-1), making his first start of the season for the Rangers, took the loss, his team's third in a row. Allard allowed two runs on two hits in four innings, with one walk and four strikeouts.

Flexen (5-2), a right-hander who was coming off his worst outing of the season when he gave up eight runs on 10 hits in just 1 2/3 innings May 21 in San Diego, allowed just three hits to the Rangers. He walked one and struck out six.

Murphy opened the scoring by going deep to left-center field leading off the bottom of the third inning. Nottingham followed with a home run to left.

The score remained 2-0 until the seventh.

Ty France led off the bottom of the inning with a single to left off Rangers left-hander Taylor Hearn. An out later, Murphy grounded a single into right. Nottingham then walked to load the bases.

The Rangers brought in left-hander Brett Martin to replace Hearn, but Jack Mayfield greeted him with a two-run double to center field. After rookie Jarred Kelenic struck out, Mitch Haniger singled to center to score Nottingham, with Mayfield thrown out at the plate by center fielder Adolis Garcia.

Garcia robbed Haniger of a home run in the first inning, leaping high at the wall in left-center field to glove a towering shot.

--Field Level Media