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Corey Seager hit a grand slam and Jon Gray pitched seven strong innings as the visiting Texas Rangers opened a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles with a 12-2 win on Friday.

Leody Taveras went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, three RBIs and two runs for the Rangers. Josh Jung and Josh Smith each went 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs, and Robbie Grossman added a two-run homer, a walk and two runs.

Gray (5-1) allowed a run on four hits with eight strikeouts and a walk for the Rangers, who won for the sixth time in their past seven games.

Adley Rutschman went 3-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk for Baltimore, which lost for just the second time in its past seven games.

Leading 2-1, the Rangers put the game away with an eight-run fourth inning, ending Baltimore rookie right-hander Grayson Rodriguez’s night in the process.

After Jung ripped a one-out triple down the right field line, he scored on Smith’s single to right. On the next pitch, Grossman blasted a two-run homer to right-center field to make it 5-1.

Taveras walked and took second on Sandy Leon’s single before Texas loaded the bases, when shortstop Jorge Mateo mishandled Marcus Semien’s grounder on what could have been an inning-ending double play.

On the next pitch, Seager delivered Rodriguez’s cutter over the center-field fence for a grand slam and a 9-1 lead.

Rodriguez (2-2) left the game having allowed a season-high nine runs (eight earned) on just six hits with six strikeouts and three walks in just 3 1/3 innings.

Reliever Austin Voth walked Nathaniel Lowe, who took second on Adolis Garcia’s groundout before extending the lead to 10-1 on Jung’s single to center.

Terrin Vavra’s infield single in the eighth for Baltimore scored Ryan O’Hearn to make it 10-2.

The Rangers scored two runs in the ninth against emergency reliever Ryan McKenna, who normally plays in the outfield.

The Orioles took a 1-0 lead on Rutschman’s first-inning homer before the Rangers seized the lead for good in the second inning on Taveras’ two-run shot.

–Field Level Media