For openers, Gagne saves one for Texas

Eric Gagne returned to the major leagues with his second save in 22 months, and Ian Kinsler’s third home run in four games helped the Texas Rangers beat the Seattle Mariners, 5-2, on Friday night.

Kevin Millwood (2-1) yielded a run and seven hits in six innings. Akinori Otsuka worked the eighth and Gagne pitched a scoreless ninth.

Gagne, activated from the disabled list earlier in the day, made his American League debut and finished the game for his first save since June 6, 2005 with the Dodgers. That was the last game Gagne appeared in before back surgery in July ended his season.

Gagne, the 2003 National League Cy Young award winner, yielded a Ben Broussard single to lead off the ninth before striking out Ichiro Suzuki and getting former Dodgers teammate Adrian Beltre to ground into a double play.

The Mariners played their sixth game on the season’s 13th day, thanks to four snowouts and a rainout on a seven-game trip through Cleveland and Boston.

Texas took a 2-0 lead in the second inning off Jarrod Washburn, who was pitching for the first time in 10 days. Matt Kata singled before Jerry Hairston Jr. walked on four pitches. Kata scored on a throwing error by third baseman Beltre, and Hairston scored on Michael Young’s fielder’s choice.

Kinsler gave the Rangers a 4-0 lead in the fifth. After Hairston singled, Kinsler hit a high fastball from Washburn into the left-field bleachers. Kinsler has a team-leading five home runs in nine games this season.