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Metcalf's huge day sparks Rangers to sweep of Mariners

Jul 25, 2007 - 4:54 AM ARLINGTON, Texas (Ticker) -- Rookie Travis Metcalf broke two bats and the hopes of the Seattle Mariners.

Metcalf went 4-for-4 and drove in the go-ahead run with a double in the eighth inning as the Texas Rangers completed a doubleheader sweep of the Seattle Mariners with a 2-1 victory on Tuesday.

Metcalf, who finished a homer shy of the cycle, hit an 0-1 pitch from Chris Reitsma off the wall in left field to plate Gerald Laird with the go-ahead run.

Laird led off the eighth with a single off Reitsma (0-2) and was sacrificed by rookie Ramon Vazquez before Metcalf came through with the clutch hit.

Metcalf, who went 1-for-3 in the opener, broke his bat both on a triple earlier in the game and on the game-winning hit.

"I felt the bat blow up in my hands. I just took off and hoped it would fall in," Metcalf said.

Metcalf came into the nightcap hitting .200 but had raised his average to .241 by night's end.

"(Hitting coach) Rudy Jaramillo and I have been all week on being more aggressive at the plate," Metcalf said. "It's starting to pay off."

Texas, which won the first game of the doubleheader, 2-1, got on the board first in the third. Metcalf tripled to left field and scored on a double to right by Michael Young.

The Seattle bullpen, which came into the game with a 20-5 record and the fifth-best ERA in the majors, was upstaged by the Rangers' bullpen.

C.J. Wilson (2-1) threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings and closer Eric Gagne picked up his second save of the day by throwing a scoreless ninth. Gagne worked around a leadoff single to record his 16th save in 17 chances.

"We've all been working to straighten out what was going wrong earlier in the season," Rangers starter Kameron Loe said in regards to the pitching staff leading the majors with a 3.65 ERA since June 29. "To have that stat really means a lot to us."

Meanwhile, Gagne recorded two saves in one day for the first time in his career and has worked in three straight games, showing he is fully recovered from two elbow surgeries.

"Always in a doubleheader, you expect to burn a lot of pitchers, but our starters came up huge and it felt good to go out there help our guys," Gagne said, adding he had told Texas manager Ron Washington prior to the first game that he'd be ready for both games if needed.

Trailing, 3-1, Texas evened the score thanks in part to a wild pitch by Jarrod Washburn.

Metcalf led off with single and, after a forceout, Young walked and Mark Teixeira plated Kenny Lofton with a single to right that cut the lead to 3-2 as Young moved to third.

Washburn then uncorked a wild pitch that enabled Young to cross the plate with the tying run.

That costly mistake aside, Washburn pitched well, yielding three runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings before giving way to Sean Green with runners on first and second in the sixth.

Loe, who is winless in his last three starts, allowed three runs and seven hits with five strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings and retired the last six hitters he faced.

Seattle, which has lost five straight, answered with three runs in the fifth to take a 3-1 lead.

Jose Vidro singled in one run and Raul Ibanez hit a two-out, two-run double to center field off Loe. Ibanez's double came after a controversial call by home plate umpire Jim Reynolds, who ruled Ibanez had foul-tipped what would have been strike three from Loe.

"He (Ibanez) knew he struck out. He was going back to the dugout to get his glove and hat," Loe said. "I had to settle myself down (after the call). I got the frustration out and got back to being calm, cool and collected."