Park Making His Pitch for Rangers

Chan Ho Park pitched seven scoreless innings, and Hank Blalock and Laynce Nix each homered, doubled and drove in two runs to lead the Texas Rangers to a 5-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night.

Blalock hit a solo homer in the first and an RBI double in the second, when the Rangers roughed up Mariner starter Gil Meche for four runs. Nix’s two-run homer in the second was a 417-foot drive to center.

The Mariners fell to 2-8, matching the 1990 team for worst start in franchise history. They have lost all four games at Safeco Field this season.

Park (1-2) yielded eight hits over seven innings. He struck out five and walked John Olerud three times. The Mariners left 10 runners on base against Park.

The former Dodger is trying to regain the form that led the Rangers to sign him to a big five-year contract in December 2001.

He had a 5.75 earned-run average in 25 starts in 2002, and was limited to seven starts by back problems last year when he went 1-3 with a 7.58 ERA.

Although he has struggled since joining the Rangers, Park has pitched well against Seattle, going 3-2 with a 2.55 ERA in six starts.

Carlos Almanzar pitched two innings of hitless relief, striking out the side in the eighth.

Meche (0-2) gave up a 383-foot homer to Blalock in the first inning, then was tagged for four more runs in the second.

With one out, Nix hit the first pitch he saw for a two-run homer. Then Blalock doubled into the gap in right-center to bring home Gerald Laird, who had singled.

Blalock scored on a bloop single by Alfonso Soriano to push the Rangers’ lead to 5-0. Meche gave up seven hits and five runs in five innings.

Blalock is batting .362 with three homers and 11 RBIs in 11 games.

Herbert Perry nearly homered in the fifth inning, but right fielder Ichiro Suzuki reached over the wall to bring it back into play. Suzuki didn’t make the catch and Perry ended up with a double.