Rangers Fight Back Late, But Drop Fifth Straight Game

The Texas Rangers fell to 2-9 on Wednesday night, dropping their fifth straight game in Seattle.

Chris Halicke | Apr 21, 2022

The Texas Rangers dropped their fifth straight game, losing to the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night by a score of 4-2 at T-Mobile Park.

After dropping the first game of the series in a relatively clean game on Tuesday, the Rangers got off to a good start. They managed to get runners on the corners with only one out in the first inning, but Mitch Garver grounded into a double play to end the threat.

In the bottom half of the frame, Texas turned the seventh triple play in Rangers history. After Adam Frazier walked and Ty France singled to lead off the inning, Jesse Winker lined out sharply to Nathaniel Lowe at first base. With a full count, both baserunners were moving on contact. After Lowe snagged the liner, he trotted over to first base to double up France then tossed the ball to Corey Seager at second base for the third out.

However, it went downhill from there. The offense went into a slumber as Seattle starter Logan Gilbert found a groove and made it through 6 2/3 innings while facing three over the minimum from the beginning of the second inning until he was taken out with two outs in the seventh.

Marcus Semien

Dane Dunning

Nathaniel Lowe

Just as Lowe was a key part of the triple play in the first inning, an error by him in the third allowed Seattle to get on the board and elevate the pitch count for Rangers starter Dane Dunning.

Dunning tried to get through five innings, but was chased after just two batters in the fifth. John King came in to try and limit the damage, but the Mariners batted around and put up three more runs to give them a 4-0 advantage.

The Rangers' bats finally came alive in the ninth inning. Against Seattle right-hander Diego Castillo, Marcus Semien and Seager led off with back-to-back singles, then Semien scored on a fielder's choice error by Seattle third baseman Abraham Toro. Seager moved up to third base on a fielder's choice by Lowe, then Adolis García just missed a game-tying homer, but settled for a sacrifice fly to bring the Rangers within two runs.

Nick Solak, who came in the game in the seventh inning as a pinch hitter for Willie Calhoun, struck out on three pitches to end the comeback attempt.

If you're looking for a silver lining, Adolis García had a solid day at the plate, going 1-for-3 with a double and RBI. His two outs were also hard line outs.

In addition, García nearly earned an outfield assist on a throw home in the fifth inning that would have prevented the Mariners' fourth run from scoring. Though it appeared Jonah Heim applied the tag on Jesse Winker before his foot crossed the plate, the replay challenge by manager Chris Woodward was unsuccessful.

In addition, Brock Burke added two more scoreless innings out of the bullpen for the Rangers. It's been a very solid start to the season for Burke, as he is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 13 strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings over four relief appearances. As inconsistent as Texas pitching has been thus far, Burke has stood out among the entire pitching staff.

What's Next?

The Rangers (2-9) will look to end their five-game skid as they wrap up their three-game series with the Mariners (7-5) on Thursday night. Texas southpaw Taylor Hearn (0-1, 4.70 ERA) is scheduled to square off with Seattle left-hander Marco Gonzales (1-1, 3.00 ERA).

Published Apr 21, 2022

CHRIS HALICKE