Arlington, Texas ? That somber mood in the Seattle clubhouse had all the feelings of a funeral: despair, grief and shock.

Seattle’s playoff hopes aren’t dead yet, but the Mariners dug themselves a pretty deep hole, being swept in a four-game series by the last-place Texas Rangers.

Seattle's Bret Boone leaves the dugout after Thursday's 7-3 loss to the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas. The Mariners dropped 61â2 games behind Anaheim in the AL wild card race.

“We’ve got to find a way to snap out of this and give ourselves an eye-opening chance to stay in this thing,” Mike Cameron said after Thursday’s 7-3 loss.

The Mariners, who hadn’t been swept by the Rangers in a four-game set in 10 years, dropped 61â2 games behind Anaheim in the AL wild-card race. The four-game losing streak matched the season high.

“It’s gone as far as it can,” Bret Boone said. “It was bad timing and we never expected it. But there is not time to roll over.”

The Mariners, whose final 16 games are against AL West opponents, begin a three-game series today at Oakland. They are 84-61 and won’t come close to their record 116 wins, set last season.

Herbert Perry went 3-for-4, including a pair of RBI doubles, and Chan Ho Park won his fifth straight start to lead the Rangers.

Seattle got off to a good start against Park (9-6), with singles by Ichiro Suzuki and Desi Relaford three pitches into the game and John Olerud’s two-run double.

But in the bottom of the first, Michael Young ended an 0-for-14 slump with his ninth homer and Rafael Palmeiro and Perry had back-to-back doubles off Ryan Franklin (6-4) to tie the game.

The Rangers built a 7-2 lead after five innings and went on for their first four-game sweep over Seattle since April 1992, and their first in Texas since June 1986.

“It’s not what we envisioned when we came in here,” said Mariners manager Lou Piniella, whose team had won nine straight in Arlington before this week.

Perry led off the fourth with a single and scored after a walk, a hit batter and a fielder’s choice grounder. Todd Hollandsworth and Young added consecutive RBI singles for a 5-2 lead.

Palmeiro started the fifth with another double, and again scored on a Perry double. Todd Greene, whose had the game-winning RBIs Tuesday and Wednesday, added a sacrifice fly to make it 7-2.

“I think our team enjoys playing well rather than being a spoiler,” Rangers manager Jerry Narron said. “It all goes back to pitching. We pitched well in this series and won games.”

Park gave up three runs and eight hits in 5 1â3 innings, struck out seven and walked three.

Park has won all five starts since coming off the disabled list Aug. 23, a trip caused by a blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand. Before that, the right-hander hadn’t won consecutive games since signing his $65 million, five-year contract last December.

During his streak, Park has a 2.70 ERA, allowing 10 earned runs in 33 1-3 innings with 34 strikeouts.

After Ruben Sierra walked to start the sixth, Dan Wilson singled and Mike Cameron hit an RBI double off the left-center field wall to end Park’s day. But the Mariners then managed just one hit off four more Texas pitchers.

Angels 7, Athletics 6

Anaheim, Calif. Scott Spiezio’s two-out RBI single in the bottom of the ninth gave the Angels a victory and vaulted them into a tie with the Athletics atop the AL West.

The Angels won for the 13th time in 14 games including the final three of a four-game series against Oakland to move into a tie for the lead for the first time since Aug. 21.

Indians 5, Twins 4

Cleveland Omar Vizquel hit a three-run double and Cleveland hung on to beat Minnesota.

Cleveland trailed 3-1 in the seventh when Vizquel doubled off Joe Mays (3-7) after John McDonald’s potential double-play grounder to shortstop was misplayed by Cristian Guzman. Jim Thome followed with an RBI double.

Jarrod Riggan (2-1) pitched one hitless inning.

Yankees 7, Orioles 3

New York David Wells (17-7), showing no ill effects from a diner fight last weekend, beat Baltimore for the fourth time this season as New York completed a four-game sweep.

The Yankees cut their magic number for clinching the AL East to eight.

Wells allowed two runs and seven hits in eight innings, struck out six and walked none. Jason Giambi left because of a bruised right wrist after being hit by a pitch, and was listed as day to day.

Red Sox 6, Devil Rays 3

St. Petersburg, Fla. With four runs in the ninth inning, Boston completed a four-game sweep of Tampa Bay that kept alive its faint wild-card hopes.

Carlos Baerga tied the score with a bloop single, and Trot Nixon hit a go-ahead two-run single as the Red Sox rallied from a 3-2 deficit against Esteban Yan (6-8).

Boston, in search of its first World Series title since 1918, began the day 7 1â2 games behind Anaheim in the wild card race and has just 17 games left to make up the deficit.

Tim Wakefield (10-5) got the win.

Late Wednesday game

Angels 6, Athletics 5

Anaheim, Calif. Shawn Wooten hit a go-ahead two-run double with two outs in the seventh inning off Jeff Tam (0-1), helping Anaheim rally past Oakland.