Rangers 9, Mariners 1

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Marlon Byrd likes what the Texas Rangers are doing on offense this spring. The veteran outfielder just hopes it carries over to the regular season.

Byrd had two hits and three RBIs, Ian Kinsler added two hits and scored twice, and the Rangers took advantage of another poor outing by the Seattle Mariners' pitching staff for a 9-1 win Thursday.

"When things get rolling, with any team, the hitting gets contagious," said Byrd, whose RBI single capped a four-run sixth inning for Texas. "I know it's a cliche but it's true. We have a lot of speed-power combinations and we've got guys that can do whatever you need them to do."

Seven of the Rangers' starters had at least one hit or scored against Seattle. Texas had 15 hits overall and benefited from three Mariners errors.

Hank Blalock went 2-for-3 with an RBI, Chris Davis had two hits and Taylor Teagarden added a two-run homer as Texas broke out for its highest run total since of the spring since opening the with a 12-7 win over Kansas City.

Kinsler was at the heart of the Rangers' attack. He led off the game with a double and scored on Josh Hamilton's bloop single to center then later singled and scored in the third.

"One thing we can do is hit, there's no doubt about that," Texas manager Ron Washington said. "We're going to have our days when pitchers are going to slow us down a little bit but we can definitely swing the bat. It was nice to see them as a group, especially that first group, come out and do what they did today."

Right-hander Brandon McCarthy, who was scratched from his last start after complaining of stiffness in his right shoulder, pitched four shutout innings and faced just one batter over the minimum in his second start this spring.

McCarthy struck out three and allowed only a single to Jamie Burke in the second. He stayed ahead in the count most of the time and showed good command with his fastball, an encouraging sign for the Rangers.

"To pitch effectively at this level I think I have to have command like that," McCarthy said. "Stuff-wise (I'm) not going to blow a lot of people away but if I can hit spots like that I can do some things, especially on a day where the slider wasn't as good as it could be."

Seattle managed just four hits and pitched with runners on base in every inning but one. Starter Jarrod Washburn had three strikeouts in three innings but also walked two and gave up five hits.

Reliever Miguel Batista rebounded from a rough outing against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday to pitch two strong innings but Roy Corcoran, one of a handful of candidates for Seattle's closer job, gave up four runs on three hits in one-third of an inning.

"Again, spring training is long and guys will go through little stretches but we have to start seeing (consistency) pretty soon," Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said. "I thought Wash was better, I thought Batista was better and thats about it on the pitching."

Mike Sweeney, in camp as a non-roster invitee, homered in the seventh for Seattle. The 35-year-old played first base for the first time this spring after making two appearances as the designated hitter.

Ken Griffey Jr. went hitless in four at-bats and is batting just .125 in the Cactus League.

Game notes
LF Frank Catalanotto and OF Nelson Cruz returned to the Rangers' camp after playing in the World Baseball Classic. Neither played against Seattle but both are expected to be in Texas' lineup on Friday. ... RHP Jason Jennings pitched one shutout inning after McCarthy to lower his ERA to 2.25 this spring. Jennings, who is scheduled to pitch two innings against the Chicago White Sox on Saturday, hasn't ruled out starting if the Rangers want him to. "They know I'm up to it," Jennings said. ... Seattle assigned RHP Josh Fields, RHP Tracy Thorpe, C Israel Nunez, IF Callix Crabbe and IF Oswaldo Navarro to their minor league camp. The moves leave the Mariners with 58 players on their roster.