ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – Alex Rodriguez hit his major league-leading 44th homer and rookie Laynce Nix homered twice to lead the Texas Rangers over the Seattle Mariners 10-5 Tuesday night.

Hank Blalock had a three-run homer for Texas, which opened a 9-0 lead in the fourth inning and dropped Seattle 21/2 games behind Boston in the AL wild-card race. The Mariners have lost three straight and are 6-8 in September.

Rodriguez homered in the first inning, his fifth homer in his last six games. He had three hits and three RBIs.

Gil Meche (15-11) allowed eight runs and seven hits – four of them homers – in 2 1-3 innings.

John Thomson (13-13) gave up three runs and nine hits in eight innings.

Nix, Michael Young and Mark Teixeira all had three hits for the Rangers, who had lost nine of their previous 11. Nix matched his career high with four RBIs.

Texas broke open the game with a five-run second, when Nix hit a two-run homer and Blalock hit a three-run drive. Nix hit another two-run homer in the third.

Seattle ended Thomson’s shutout bid with a three-run eighth that included RBI singles by Bret Boone and Edgar Martinez.

Notes: Nix had his first career multihomer game. … The Mariners are 9-9 against the Rangers this season. … Thomson had lost his previous three starts.

AP-ES-09-16-03 2255EDT