That 7-1 beatdown by the Texas Rangers last night? It wasn’t just a tough loss; it knocked our Mariners out of second place in the AL West, with the Astros now passing us in the standings. We went into Globe Life Field behind Texas, hoping to close the gap, but instead, we got shelled by a team that apparently had the worst starters ERA in the Majors this month. What in the world happened?
Outfield Play Was a Disaster in Texas
From the jump, things looked rough. The Rangers, who came into this game with a lineup that looked like “a handful of actual big league-quality batters” at first blush, jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. How? With a huge assist from some absolutely abysmal outfield play by our guys. Manager Dan Wilson made a call to give regular center fielder Julio Rodriguez a half-day at designated hitter, shifting professional corner outfielder Luke Raley to center. That move immediately backfired. Raley dove for an Ezequiel Duran flare to the right field gap, a ball that “most average center fielders glide over and catch.” Instead, Wyatt Langford, who had already doubled, scored the game’s first run, and Duran was standing on third. Brandon Nimmo walked, Evan Carter doubled Duran home, and Nicky Lopez grounded Nimmo in. Just like that, 3-0. This is the kind of defensive mistake we simply cannot afford right now.
An Unlikely Hero Dials Us In
It gets worse. An inning later, the Rangers tacked on two more runs with a Joc Pederson stolen base, another Langford double, and an RBI single from Duran. Nathan Eovaldi, who was the main story last night, was *that guy* who gave up three home runs in his last start to Atlanta. He was supposed to be vulnerable. Instead, he dealt, nearly always delivering when needed. Eovaldi tossed seven innings, allowing just one run on three hits and a walk, striking out eight on a crisp 91 pitches. He shut us down. Even their bottom of the order, with no one featuring an OPS above .650 and career journeyman Austin Wynns batting ninth, got in on the action, with Alejandro Osuna delivering a two-run double in the seventh to truly put the game to bed. Our starter Bryan Woo did manage to go five innings, which probably saved the bullpen a bit, but five early runs against a seemingly weaker lineup? That’s just not good enough.
We knew this series against Texas was big. With this loss, the Rangers are now positioned to take the series with one more victory and will leave this matchup “no worse than atop the division.” We need to bounce back immediately. This is crunch time, Emerald City, and we just got knocked back a spot. We gotta turn this around, starting with the next game, or that division lead Texas just secured is going to feel a lot bigger.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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