The Mariners failed to keep the Rangers offense in check and fell 11 games below .500
SEATTLE — In what has become a shocking shift of circumstance over the past two months, the Seattle Mariners pitching staff was again unable to keep the opposing lineup in check in a 10-5 loss to the Texas Rangers on Tuesday at T-Mobile Park.
The loss dropped the Mariners to 67-78 on the season, seven games out of first place in the American League West and 6.5 games out of the final wild card spot in the American League.
The M's fell behind early after shortstop Corey Seager hit a lead-off solo home run with one out in the top of the second.
The Rangers bolstered their lead to 2-0 after second baseman Nick Lopez hit an RBI single.
After a clean third inning, Texas bolstered its lead once again in the fourth.
With the bases loaded and one out, Seattle starting pitcher Bryce Miller struck out Texas catcher Danny Jansen. He gave the ball to left-handed reliever Jose A. Ferrer to get the final out of the inning.
Ferrer surrendered a two-RBI single to pinch-hitter/designated hitter Justin Foscue, which gave the Rangers a 4-0 advantage.
The two runs were attributed to Miller due to the inherited runners. Miller finished his outing with a line of six strikeouts, three walks and four earned runs allowed on four hits (one homer) in 3.2 innings pitched.
Tuesday marked the fourth-straight start for Miller where he failed to pitch through the fifth inning and the fifth time in six outings he surrendered four-or-more earned runs.
"I wanted to at least go through five (innings), ideally," Miller said in a postgame interview Tuesday. "I don't know. I felt like, really, today the splitter's the best it's been all year. ... Overall, it was just too many long at-bats. We had a couple quick at-bats but it felt like everything was five-to-nine pitches."
Despite the early deficit, the Mariners were able to pull back within striking distance via a historic home run from Lazaro Montes.
The top 100 prospect's first homer at T-Mobile Park was a three-run shot in the bottom of the fourth that cut Seattle's deficit to 4-3 and traveled 474 feet, a ballpark-record in the Statcast era.
"Right when I hit it I said 'Oh man, this is far,'" Montes said in a postgame interview Tuesday. "Right through. Right through."
The jubilation of Montes' monster homer didn't even last a full inning.
Right-handed reliever Eduard Bazardo, who took over from Ferrer in the top of the fifth with a runner on and one out, surrendered a two-run home run to left fielder Wyatt Langford. Later in the inning, Jansen hit a three-run shot off Bazardo.
The pair of homers ballooned the Rangers advantage to 9-3.
Texas scored one more run in the top of the seventh and the Mariners scored one run apiece in the bottom of the eighth and ninth inning, courtesy of an RBI single hit by right fielder Dominic Canzone and an RBI sacrifice fly hit by left fielder Randy Arozarena, respectively.
Seattle will attempt to even the series against its AL West rivals in the second of the three-game set at 1:10 p.m. PT on Wednesday at T-Mobile Park. Kade Anderson will start for the Mariners and Cody Bradford will start for the Rangers.
