updated 8:57 p.m. ET July 2, 2005

SEATTLE - Gary Matthews was asked if he could remember a team with more power than his Texas Rangers team.

“Yeah, last year’s team,” he said.

Matthews hit a two-out home run in the ninth inning Saturday, leading the Rangers over the Seattle Mariners 6-5 for their fourth straight victory.

Texas finished third in the AL with 227 home runs in 2004, but this year’s version may be even better.

The Rangers, who lead the majors with 133 home runs, also got a three-run shot from Michael Young in the second and a solo shot from David Dellucci — his third homer in three games — in the fourth.

“We’ve got a lot of spots in the order that can really hurt you, but we have our moments, too,” Rangers manager Buck Showalter said. “We’ve been doing a good job of taking advantage of what mistakes are made.”

Matthews hit a line drive shot on a 1-1 sinker from J.J. Putz into the first row of the right-field seats.

“That was as hard a ball as I’ve seen hit this year,” Showalter said.

Putz said it was a poor pitch.

“That was just a dumb pitch to throw at that point,” he said. “Nobody on or in scoring position and he’s looking to try and jerk one.”

Adrian Beltre had his first two-homer game since joining the Mariners, but struck out against rookie Kameron Loe (2-1) with the game tied and two men on to end the seventh. Beltre had departed before the media arrived in the clubhouse.

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“It was a two-seamer in,” Loe said of the strikeout pitch to Beltre. “I went after him with fastballs, trying to make him hit it on the ground. I ended up getting ahead of him with a chance to throw a dirty one.”

Francisco Cordero pitched the ninth for his 19th save in 23 opportunities.

Seattle matched a season high with its seventh straight loss.

Dellucci homered for a 5-4 lead, but Beltre answered with a solo shot into the left-field bullpen in the fifth. It was his first multihomer game since Sept. 21 for the Dodgers against San Diego.

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