SEATTLE (Interstat) — George Kirby delivered 5 2/3 innings of steady, one-run ball and the Seattle Mariners’ bullpen slammed the door over the final three innings as Seattle snapped a four-game skid with a 7-3 victory over the Texas Rangers on Saturday night at T-Mobile Park.

A crowd of 45,552 watched the Mariners improve to 9-13, while the Rangers fell to 11-10. The game time was 3 hours, 13 minutes.

Kirby, who entered with a stellar career history against Texas, earned his third win against two losses. He scattered seven hits, struck out five and walked two. His outing was briefly interrupted in the fourth inning when a sharp single by Josh Jung deflected off him, prompting a visit from the training staff, but he remained in the game.

Nathan Eovaldi took the loss for Texas, falling to 2-3 after allowing two earned runs on eight hits over five innings of work.

The Mariners struck first in the opening frame. J.P. Crawford led off with a double, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on a two-out RBI single by Julio Rodríguez.

Texas threatened repeatedly against Kirby but could not break through until the sixth. After stranding two runners in both the second and fourth innings, Jung finally put the Rangers on the board with a solo home run to center field, his second of the year, cutting Seattle’s lead to 3-1.

The Mariners answered immediately in the bottom of the sixth. Luke Raley led off the inning by crushing his fifth home run of the season, a solo shot to right field off Kirby to restore the three-run cushion at 4-1.

The pivotal sequence of the game came in the bottom of the eighth inning, turning a close contest into a comfortable lead. With Seattle leading 4-1, Randy Arozarena struck out, but Luke Raley worked a walk. Dominic Canzone then laced a double to center, moving Raley to third. Cole Young followed with a sharp ground ball that deflected off the glove of second baseman Ezequiel Duran and into center field, scoring both Raley and Canzone. Young later scored on a sacrifice fly by Leo Rivas, capping a three-run outburst that extended Seattle’s lead to 7-1.

That rally proved critical as Texas mounted a final charge in the ninth. Wyatt Langford and Josh Smith singled, and Josh Jung walked to load the bases with one out. Evan Carter lifted a sacrifice fly to score Langford, and Ezequiel Duran followed with a double to left, scoring Smith to make it 7-3. With the tying run on deck, Andrés Muñoz was summoned from the bullpen. After walking Kyle Higashioka to re-load the bases, Muñoz struck out Brandon Nimmo swinging to end the game and secure his second save of the season.

The Mariners’ relief corps was flawless. Eduard Bazardo, Matt Brash, Gabe Speier and Muñoz combined for 3 1/3 hitless innings, striking out two.

Offensively, both teams collected 11 hits. For Seattle, Dominic Canzone led the way, going 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Raley’s home run was a key blow, and Young contributed two hits and two RBIs. For Texas, Josh Jung was 2-for-4 with the home run, while Ezequiel Duran went 3-for-5 with an RBI double. Wyatt Langford also had three hits, including a double.

The victory halted a troubling slide for the Mariners, who had lost four straight and seven of their last eight. It also provided a measure of payback after being shut out by the Rangers 5-0 in the series opener on Friday. The teams have now split the first four meetings of their season series.

Texas had entered the game having won three of its last four. The Rangers continue to struggle with runners in scoring position, going 2-for-12 in such situations and leaving 12 men on base.

The game defied the pregame projection from Interstat’s simulator, which had forecast a 6-3 Texas victory. While Seattle’s ELO rating gave them a 55.4% probability to win, the combined 10 runs fell well under the posted over/under line of 7.

The series concludes Sunday at T-Mobile Park. Texas will head home to begin a series with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday, while Seattle will host the Athletics for a three-game set starting Monday.