Rangers Suffer Another One-Run Loss to Mariners

Texas kept it close, got the game to extra innings but again found itself falling to the hottest team in baseball

The Texas Rangers don’t seem to have an answer for one-run games, extra innings or the Seattle Mariners, as they lost, 3-2, in 10 innings on Saturday at Globe Life Field.

The Mariners (50-42) continued their red-hot streak, winning their 13th straight game and remaining in one of the American League Wild Card spots with one game remaining before the All-Star Break.

The Rangers (41-48) lost their third straight game, absorbed their fifth loss in their last seven games and are now 1-5 at home in extra-inning games. The Rangers are also 5-20 in one-run games.

Seattle broke the tie in the 10th inning with a one-out RBI single by J.P. Crawford, who drove in Dan Haggerty. He was the ghost runner to start the inning and he stole third off Rangers reliever Brett Martin. The Rangers avoided further damage with a groundout double play by Adam Frazier.

Mariners reliever Matthew Festa struck out Jonah Heim, Kole Calhoun and Elier Hernandez in the bottom of the 10th to end the game.

The Rangers grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Nathaniel Lowe doubled, and Leody Taveras’ groundout advanced Lowe to third. He then scored on Jonah Heim’s single to center field. It was the only run the Rangers were able to get off of Mariners 10-game winner Logan Gilbert, who gave up four hits and a run in five innings.

Spencer Howard started for the Rangers and went five innings for the second straight start, giving up five hits and two runs. He struck out three and had to work around five walks. The Mariners’ only runs off Howard came in the third on a two-run home run by Carlos Santana, a shot that gave the Mariners a 2-1 lead.

Hernandez, who was a late add to the lineup as the designated hitter when Brad Miller was scratched for right neck tightness, tied the game in the bottom of the seventh with his first Major League RBI. The outfielder, who spent a decade in minor league baseball before the Rangers called him up on Thursday, drove in Leody Taveras from second. Taveras doubled to lead off the inning.

The Rangers have just two games remaining until the All-Star Break. On Saturday at 3:05 p.m., the Rangers will start Spencer Howard, and on Sunday at 1:35 the Rangers will start Glenn Otto.

After that, most of the Rangers will have the next three days off. The exceptions are pitcher Martín Pérez and shortstop Corey Seager, who will head to the All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

Pérez was selected as part of the AL pitching staff. Seager was selected to the team on Thursday as an injury replacement for Toronto’s George Springer and will participate in Monday’s home run derby.

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You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard

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