ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) _ Texas didn't need all 10 runs this time.

Rick Helling pitched six shutout innings, four after being hit on his throwing hand by a comebacker, as the defending AL West champion Rangers opened their series against division-leading Seattle with a 10-1 victory Monday night.

The rout was a quick change of pace for the Rangers, who had been involved in four straight one-run games. They lost two of those, but won the others 17-16 and 11-10 with ninth-inning rallies against Oakland over the weekend.

``The best way to play is not to score six or seven runs and catch up,'' Texas manager Johnny Oates said. ``You would like to put up runs in the beginning and have good starting pitching, and have the bullpen come and work it out.''

Texas got all of that in the first of a three-game series against Seattle.

Helling (4-1) allowed just three singles before he left with a 6-0 lead, and relievers Jeff Zimmerman and Tim Crabtree allowed two hits and an unearned run over the last three innings.

Chad Curtis drove in three runs for the Rangers, who had extra-base hits to start five of the six innings in which they scored.

Royce Clayton led off the Texas first with a triple and the Rangers went ahead for good with three runs, highlighted by Curtis' two-run single. Clayton also had a leadoff homer in the eighth.

Jason McDonald had a leadoff homer in the second, and Mike Lamb scored after hitting doubles to start the fourth and sixth innings against loser Brett Tomko (1-2).

``As a whole as a team we are starting to play a little better. We got good pitching, good defense. Things just worked for us,'' said McDonald, who is in the Rangers lineup because outfielders Rusty Greer and Gabe Kapler are on the disabled list.

McDonald, 9-for-27 the last nine games, had a 422-foot homer into the upper deck to start the second inning. After his third homer in as many games, he added an RBI single in the fourth that scored Lamb.

After throwing out Tom Lampkin on the comebacker that ended the second, Helling showed no obvious ill effects until he began warming up prior to the seventh. He had retired the Mariners 1-2-3 in the third and fourth innings.

But while Helling was still shutting down Seattle, he was getting treatment every time he went to the dugout. After the game the imprint of the baseball seams was still visible on his swollen hand.

``By far I didn't have really anything out there after getting hit. I just ended up getting by,'' Helling said. ``I changed my total style of pitching and my approach to the game tonight, kind of make things up as you go out there.''

Helling is listed as day-to-day, but he believes he will be ready to make his next start Saturday at Anaheim.

``I don't think he threw the ball that well. He spotted the ball well,'' Seattle manager Lou Pinella said. ``His hand had to have been bothering him. Give him high marks for staying in there and getting the win.''

Helling has worked at least six innings in six straight starts after going just 3 1-3 innings April 4. In his previous start last Tuesday, Helling allowed just one hit in 7 1-3 innings in an 8-1 victory at Tampa Bay.

Notes: Texas OF Ruben Mateo has a 12-game hitting streak, the longest this season by an AL rookie. ... Luis Alicea had two hits, his fourth straight multi-hit game for the Rangers. ... With the loss, Seattle (16-13) missed the opportunity to match its best start ever through 29 games.