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Rangers' Lewis hopes to keep Mariners off the board again

Jul 15, 2011 - 2:52 PM (Sports Network) - Derek Holland already has thrown three shutouts this season and is coming off his second in a row for the red-hot Texas Rangers.

Colby Lewis owns just one shutout in 2011 and has a tough act to follow tonight for the AL West-leading Rangers, who will resume a four-game series against the Seattle Mariners tonight at Safeco Field in hopes of extending their season-high winning streak to nine games.

The Rangers made it eight wins in a row with Thursday's 5-0 blanking of the Mariners in the series opener, as Holland benefited from three home runs to push his record to 8-4. Holland scattered five hits, struck out eight batters and issued one walk to impress manager Ron Washington.

"That's two in a row he's thrown the ball the way we know he's capable of throwing it," Washington said. "If he can stay consistent like that, throwing the ball in the strike zone, I think he's going to be fine. He really did an outstanding job tonight."

Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz and Mike Napoli all homered for Texas, which is 1 1/2 games ahead of the LA Angels of Anaheim for AL West bragging rights and is on the longest winning streak since an 11-game run from June 12-24, 2010. The ballclub is a solid 16-7 in the past 23 contests and will visit the Angels for three games next week at the Big A.

Texas has won each of Lewis' last three starts and he is 3-0 with a 2.97 ERA in his last five outings. Lewis did not record a decision in Saturday's 7-6 win versus Oakland and yielded five runs -- four earned -- and five hits in six innings with nine strikeouts. The righty is 8-7 in 18 starts, but has a lofty 4.38 earned run average to show for it.

Lewis will try for a measure of revenge against the Mariners, who beat him back on May 5 in the Emerald City. In the 3-1 loss, Lewis allowed all three runs and eight hits over eight innings of work with a season-best 11 K's. He is 4-4 with a 3.69 ERA in 15 games (11 starts) lifetime against Seattle.

Seattle is mired in a six-game losing streak in which it has scored a total of nine runs. It was outhit by a 12-5 margin last night, as starting pitcher Jason Vargas surrendered all 12 hits and five runs in six innings to absorb the defeat.

Miguel Olivo had a team-best two hits and Ichiro Suzuki, Brendan Ryan and Dustin Ackley all finished 0-for-4 for the Mariners, who sit 8 1/2 games behind the Rangers for the division lead and are just 4-10 in the previous 14 contests. Ackley entered the game having recorded at least one hit in 17 of 20 games and couldn't solve Holland at the plate

"He had real good stuff," Mariners manager Eric Wedge said of Holland. "He had a powerful sinker, a good changeup and threw some good sliders. He threw a real good ballgame."

Wedge hopes he can say the same about Doug Fister when he sends the right- hander to the mound tonight. Fister has the lowest run-support in the American League at 2.15 and is 0-5 despite a 2.89 ERA in his previous seven starts. He lost his second straight trip to the mound in last Thursday's 5-1 loss in Anaheim and permitted three runs and seven hits in six frames, falling to 3-10 with a 3.09 ERA in 18 starts.

Fister is 2-5 in 10 home assignments this season and 1-2 with a 4.81 ERA in four career starts against the Rangers.

Texas swept Seattle in three games from April 4-6 in Arlington, but the Mariners returned the favor by taking two of three matchups May 3-5 in the Emerald City.