After going 2-for-17 to start spring training, the 39-year-old Griffey is 4-for-8 with a home run, two doubles, four RBIs and three walks over his last three games.

"There are good days and bad days," Griffey said. "It's just a matter of seeing pitches and not trying to do too much. That's it."

Chris Shelton went 3-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI for the Mariners, who wound up with their second tie this spring.

Jarrod Washburn allowed three runs and eight hits over six innings in his longest Cactus League outing. Washburn walked one and pitched out of trouble in the fourth and fifth, stranding runners in scoring position each time.

"I thought he could have went more but he had a stiff neck," Seattle manager Don Wakamatsu said. "He is pitching, not throwing like he used to."

Nelson Cruz hit a three-run homer in the seventh for Texas, which pounded out 15 hits overall and rallied from three runs down to force the tie. Josh Hamilton, Andruw Jones and Jarrod Saltalamacchia added two hits apiece.

Rangers third baseman Michael Young left in the second after aggravating his left quadriceps injury. Young singled in the first and felt a twinge when he tried to run out of the batter's box.

"After he got that base hit he just felt like it still wasn't right yet," Texas manager Ron Washington said. "We think it'll be day to day. We'll try again tomorrow."

Griffey had an adventurous day in the outfield. He lost Saltalamacchia's second-inning fly ball in the sun as he was near the warning track. The ball hit hard off the track next to Griffey and bounced over the wall for a ground-rule double.

"It went up and stayed in the sun and stayed there and stayed there," Griffey said. "If I had gotten hit in the head it probably would have evened up the playing field for the gentlemen who are not as handsome as I am. I didn't want it so my wife wouldn't recognize me."

In the fifth, Griffey fielded Jones' double down the left-field line and made a strong throw back to the infield.

Offensively, Griffey appears to be rounding into form after his slow start.

He walked in the first, then lined an RBI double that glanced off Hamilton's glove in center in the second to give Seattle a 2-0 lead. Griffey also hit a towering shot that hit two-thirds of the way up the 45-foot high wall in center to drive in another run.

"Griffey has more spring in his legs, more spring in his bat," Wakamatsu said. "His legs feel good ... his bat is coming around and he's making solid contact."

Texas right-hander Brandon McCarthy had an off day after pitching eight shutout innings over his previous two starts. McCarthy gave up six runs and eight hits in 4 2-3 innings. He left after walking Jamie Burke with two outs in the fifth.

"I wasn't sharp in any way," said McCarthy, who walked three. "I kept trying to battle in and out of messes, but at the end I became too predictable. I was behind to a lot of guys and that makes it a lot tougher. From top to bottom, it just wasn't a great day."

Notes: The Rangers optioned RHP Luis Mendoza to Triple-A Oklahoma City and assigned RHP Brian Gordon to their minor league camp. ... Cruz's homer was his fifth of the spring, tied for second-most in the Cactus League. ... Seattle RHP Randy Messenger, one of a handful of candidates the Mariners are looking at to be their closer, gave up three earned runs in one inning.