The Texas Rangers cannot afford to lose many more games, especially ones that go into extra innings. But that's exactly what happened on Friday night at Globe Life Field as the Miami Marlins won 6-4 in 12 innings, putting Texas' postseason hopes on life support.
It's the fifth straight loss for the Rangers, who were coming off of a three-game sweep at the hands of the Houston Astros. For Texas fans looking for some solace, the Seattle Mariners took over sole possession of first place in the American League West Division with a 4-0 shutout of the Astros at Daikin Park.
But Rangers fans wanted to see their team take advantage of going up against a Marlins team that is already out of postseason playoff contention.
Texas starter Tyler Mahle, coming back from a stint on the Injured List, went 4 2/3 innings of scoreless pitching against Miami. Yet the Rangers were shut down at the plate by Marlins starter Janson Junk, who threw seven innings of one-run ball against them.
The Rangers only had four hits in the game, but Rowdy Tellez gave the fans something to cheer about late. His two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the 10th tied the game up and sent it even further into extra innings.
Texas was 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position against Miami, which tends to let fans know that the Rangers had their chances. Yet they were not able to get the hits when it really mattered.
Patrick Corbin took the loss in relief, giving up three hits, three runs (two earned) and didn't walk or strike out a batter.
The Rangers are now five games out of an AL Wild Card spot and six games behind the Mariners in the AL West Division race. With their five-game losing streak, Texas has gone 5-5 in their last 10 games.
It's not looking good for Rangers manager Bruce Bochy and his team right now. They need to pick up the pace now or face the real prospect of going home when the final pitch is made in the 2025 MLB season.