ARLINGTON, Texas (Interstat) — Nathan Eovaldi scattered three hits over seven dominant innings and the Texas Rangers erupted for seven runs on 12 hits to defeat the Seattle Mariners 7-1 on Saturday night at Globe Life Park.

The Rangers, who improved to 53-51, took control early with a three-run first inning and never looked back. The Mariners fell to 51-54 before an announced crowd of 34,006 in a game that lasted 2 hours, 37 minutes.

Eovaldi, who entered with a 9-8 record, rebounded from a rough outing July 19 at Atlanta in which he allowed four earned runs in four innings. On Saturday, he struck out eight without a walk and yielded only one earned run. The right-hander retired the side in order in the first, second, third, fourth and sixth innings, and allowed just one hit through four. His only blemish came in the fifth, when Seattle scratched across its lone run.

Seattle starter Bryan Woo took the loss, falling to 7-7. The right-hander lasted five innings, allowing nine hits and five earned runs with five strikeouts and one walk.

Texas set the tone immediately against Woo in the bottom of the first. After Joc Pederson lined out to center, Wyatt Langford doubled to left. Ezequiel Duran followed with a run-scoring triple to right, plating Langford. Brandon Nimmo walked, and Evan Carter doubled to left, driving in Duran and sending Nimmo to third. Nicky Lopez grounded out to shortstop, scoring Nimmo and moving Carter to third, but Alejandro Osuna flied out to end the inning with the Rangers ahead 3-0.

The Rangers added two more in the second. With one out, Pederson singled to right. Langford then doubled sharply to left, scoring Pederson. Duran singled to center, bringing home Langford for a 5-0 lead. Nimmo lined out to right to end the inning.

Seattle’s only threat came in the top of the fifth. With one out, Luke Raley singled to right. J.P. Crawford doubled to right, scoring Raley and cutting the deficit to 5-1. But Colt Emerson grounded out to second, and the Mariners did not score again.

Texas put the game out of reach in the seventh. After two quick lineouts, Evan Carter walked and Nicky Lopez walked. Alejandro Osuna then doubled to center, bringing home both runners for a 7-1 advantage. That chased Woo, who had been replaced after five innings by reliever Nick Davila. Davila allowed one earned run on two hits in 1 1/3 innings. Cole Wilcox pitched 1 2/3 innings for Seattle, allowing one earned run on one hit with two strikeouts.

Eovaldi’s efficient outing was supported by a balanced Rangers attack. Langford went 3 for 4 with a double, a run scored and one RBI. Pederson finished 3 for 5 with a double and a run. Duran went 2 for 4 with two RBIs, including the triple in the first and a single in the second. Osuna drove in two runs with his double in the seventh. Carter walked twice and doubled, scoring a run.

For Seattle, Crawford doubled and drove in the team’s only run. Raley singled and scored. Colt Emerson singled in the eighth. The Mariners managed just five hits against Eovaldi and relievers Ben Peoples and Robby Ahlstrom. Peoples pitched a scoreless eighth, allowing one hit. Ahlstrom worked a scoreless ninth, striking out one.

The game was the second of a four-game series between the American League West rivals. Texas won the opener 5-4 on Friday. The teams have split their season series so far, with Texas holding a 4-3 advantage in seven meetings. Seattle had won two of three in the previous series at home in April.

Coming into Saturday, Seattle had lost three of its previous four games, including a 5-3 loss to Cincinnati on Wednesday. The Mariners had taken two of three from San Francisco the weekend before. Texas had split its previous two series, losing two of three to the Chicago White Sox and dropping two of three at Atlanta.

Eovaldi’s performance was the most critical factor in the outcome. After a shaky first inning that saw Woo allow three runs on three hits, the Mariners could not recover. The Rangers’ two-run second inning extended the lead to 5-0 and effectively ended any chance of a Seattle comeback. Even after the Mariners scored in the fifth, Eovaldi responded by retiring the next six batters he faced, allowing only one more hit through the seventh.

The most important sequence of the game occurred in the bottom of the first. Langford’s double and Duran’s triple put Texas ahead, and Carter’s double made it 3-0. That early lead forced Seattle to play catch-up against a pitcher who was locating his fastball and breaking ball with precision. Woo’s inability to limit damage in the first and second innings left the Mariners in a deep hole.

Seattle will send its next starter against Texas on Sunday in the third game of the series. The Rangers will counter with their own arm as both teams continue to jockey for position in the division. Texas sits a half-game behind the second-place Houston Astros in the AL West, while Seattle trails by 3 1/2 games.

After this series, the Rangers will travel to Tampa Bay for three games beginning Tuesday, then visit Houston for a three-game weekend set. The Mariners will head to Los Angeles for three games against the Dodgers before returning home to host Minnesota.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Texas 5, Seattle 4. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Texas with a 50.30 percent probability to win. Seattle had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total score of 8 went under the over/under line of 7.5.