Mariners 4, Rangers 0

SEATTLE (AP)—The only thing that bothered Joel Pineiro all day was a small scratch on his right thumb.

Pineiro pitched a career-best three-hitter to win his seventh straight decision, leading the Seattle Mariners over the Texas Rangers 4-0 Saturday.

Play was halted briefly three pitches into the game while Mariners trainer Rick Griffin examined an abrasion on Pineiro’s throwing thumb.

“When I went to grip the next pitch it slipped a little bit and I noticed it was bloody,” Pineiro said. “They just covered it up a little bit and it was fine.”

Pineiro got some lip balm from Griffin and little sympathy from his teammates.

“We were all over him about it,” shortstop Mark McLemore said. “We told him to just get out there and throw the ball.”

Catcher Ben Davis was puzzled as well.

“It was more of a paper cut than anything, I don’t know why he called us all out there,” Davis said.

Pineiro (12-5) struck out seven and walked two in his third career shutout and second this season. He beat Minnesota 6-0 with a four-hitter on May 30.

“There wasn’t much margin for error with the way Pineiro was pitching,” Texas manager Buck Showalter said. “It was just tough to solve him.”

In his last eight starts, Pineiro is 7-0 with a 2.14 ERA.

“When you’ve got a guy who’s got great stuff and you combine that with the fact that he located all his pitches, that is the recipe for a good game right there,” Texas’ Michael Young said.

Pineiro nearly didn’t get to finish it. With two outs in the ninth he walked Mark Teixeira, bringing up Jason Jones.

“If I hadn’t gotten him out, that probably would have been my last better,” Pineiro said.

But he struck out Jones to end the game on his 126th pitch.

Ichiro Suzuki hit an RBI single and Bret Boone had a sacrifice fly for the AL West-leading Mariners, who lead the majors with 12 shutouts.

Surprisingly, the powerful Rangers have been blanked nine times, second-most in the majors. The three hits were a season low for Texas.

Colby Lewis (4-6) was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma earlier in the day to start for the Rangers. He allowed three runs on eight hits in 5 2-3 innings.

McLemore and Randy Winn each had three hits for Seattle. Willie Bloomquist had two hits and scored twice.

Mike Cameron drove home McLemore with the game’s first run in the fourth inning on an RBI groundout.

The Mariners added two more in the fifth on an RBI single by Suzuki and a sacrifice fly by Boone. McLemore added an RBI single off reliever Aaron Fultz in the seventh.

The Rangers (27-48) are a season-worst 21 games under .500.

Lewis started the season with the Rangers before being optioned to Oklahoma on June 13.

Texas’ R.A. Dickey was originally scheduled to start Saturday, but was called in to pitch two innings of relief Friday night after starter Robert Ellis lasted only four innings.

McLemore trotted to first base after ball three in the fourth inning, thinking he had walked. Upon returning to the batter’s box, he singled sharply to right on the next pitch.

“To be perfectly honest I thought I had four balls,” McLemore said. “When you’re hitting what I’m hitting you’ve got to get on any way you can.”

Boone was hit by a pitch, then John Olerud grounded into a fielder’s choice, just beating the relay throw to avoid a double play. Texas third baseman Hank Blalock’s only play on Cameron’s slow roller was to first.

With one out in the fifth, the Mariners hit four straight singles. The third, by Suzuki, scored John Mabry. With the bases loaded, Boone hit a deep fly to left that scored Bloomquist.

The Rangers put two runners on in the third and seventh inning, but couldn’tpush any across.

Notes

Pineiro has four career complete games, two this season. … Lewis did not walk a batter for the first time in 19 major league starts. … In the last seven games, Texas starters have pitched 28 2-3 innings while the bullpen hasgone 29 1-3 innings.