Texas @ Seattle preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 4, 2010 ) Texas 11, Seattle 6

Quicker than a Nolan Ryan fastball, the Texas Rangers ended their brief two-game losing streak Wednesday night with a come-from-behind victory over the Seattle Mariners.

With Ryan on the verge of becoming part-owner of the franchise, Texas will try to win the three-game series in Seattle on Thursday night when Tommy Hunter faces Felix Hernandez in a matchup of right-handers.

Trailing 5-3 in the fifth inning of Wednesday's game, David Murphy’s three-run homer gave Texas the lead and Michael Young’s grand slam put the game out of reach.

Shortly after Wednesday night’s rout, the Rangers also learned that Ryan, their team president and Hall of Famer, was awarded ownership of the team in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Fort Worth.

Ryan and Chuck Greenberg, a Pittsburgh attorney, headed a group that bid $593 million, overcoming a bid of more than $581 million from the group headed by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and Houston businessman Jim Crane. Major League Baseball must approve the transaction, which appears to be a formality.

On the field, Hunter (8-1, 3.31 ERA) will attempt to bounce back from his only loss of the season when he allowed eight runs in three innings in Friday’s 9-7 defeat to the Los Angeles Angels.

Hunter limited the Mariners to three runs – two earned – in six innings on June 10. He is 2-2 with a 2.67 ERA in five career starts against Seattle.

Hernandez (7-8, 2.90) has the sixth-best ERA in the American League but has had troubles against the Rangers, who lead the AL West by eight games over Oakland.

In 25 career starts against the Rangers, Hernandez is 8-11 with a 4.16 ERA. Those 11 losses are the most by Hernandez against any team.

In two losses to the Rangers this season, he has a combined ERA of 7.27.

Elvis Andrus is 5-for-9 with two doubles against Hernandez this season. Josh Hamilton has a homer, triple and double in seven at-bats off Hernandez.

The Mariners have scored just seven runs in Hernandez’s eight losses, leaving a razor-thin margin for error.

Ichiro Suzuki had four stolen bases Wednesday, tying a career-high he set July 20, 2004, against Boston. Suzuki also had three hits for his 44th multihit game of the season, tying Atlanta’s Martin Prado for most in the majors. Suzuki is hitting .375 (6-for-16) in his career against Hunter.

Seattle traded first baseman/DH Mike Sweeney to the Philadelphia Phillies for cash or a player to be named earlier Wednesday. Sweeney, 37, had been on a rehabilitation assignment at Triple-A Tacoma after two stints on the DL for back problems. This will be the 15-year veteran’s first opportunity in the National League.