Mariners 9, Rangers 7

Monday, April 15th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) _ Ruben Sierra went 5-for-5 against his former team to overcome a pair of home runs by Alex Rodriguez as the Seattle Mariners beat the Texas Rangers 9-7 Sunday for their seventh straight win.

Sierra, who hit a grand slam Friday, hit a single that put the Seattle ahead to stay after the Mariners bounced back from a 5-1 deficit.

Rodriguez had a two-run homer in the fourth and a three-run drive in the sixth for his 21st career multihomer game. Rodriguez and Rangers starter Kenny Rogers were participants in a fourth-inning triple play, the first in the major leagues this season.

Seattle, which had 18 hits, scored eight runs against the bullpen to improve to 7-0 in the road. The Mariners set an AL record with 59 road wins last season.

With the game tied at 7 in the eighth, Mike Cameron drew a walk from Rudy Saenez (0-2), took second on a wild pitch and scored on Sierra's single. The five hits by Sierra matched his career high.

Pinch-runner Desi Relaford took second on a passed ball and scored on a single by John Olerud, who went 4-for-4.

Shigetoshi Hasegawa (2-0) allowed two hits in 1 2-3 relief innings, and Kazuhiro Sasaki got four outs for his third save.

Charles Gipson had three hits for the Mariners, two in a six-run seventh.

With Sierra at third and Olerud at first in the fourth inning, Seattle rookie Ron Wright grounded to Rogers, who threw to Rodriguez, forcing Olerud at second.

Rodriguez threw to catcher Bill Haselman and Sierra was retired in a rundown by Rogers. The pitcher then threw to second baseman Michael Young, who tagged out Wright at second base.

Seattle has won nine of its last 10 against Texas, which at 3-9 is off to its worst start since winning three of the first 12 games in 1978.

Mariners starter John Halama allowed five runs and eight hits in six innings, but his teammates rallied with a six-run seventh to take a 7-5 lead. Carlos Guillen hit a two-run triple off Steve Woodard, Bret Boone greeted Dan Miceli with a run-scoring single and Olerud tied it with an RBI single.

Ben Davis's infield single off Seanez put the Mariners in front, and Gibson hit an RBI.

Texas tied it in the seventh when Boone threw wildly from second trying to complete a double play on Frank Catalanotto's grounder and Rusty Greer followed with an RBI single.