Mariners 6, Rangers 2
ARLINGTON, Texas, Aug 12 — The Texas Rangers lost to the Seattle Mariners in a bullpen game on Friday night at Globe Life Field by a final score of 6–2. In a game that saw Rangers manager Chris Woodward get ejected in the bottom of the fourth inning (his first ejection of the year), the biggest hit of the night for the Rangers was an RBI single by Jonah Heim in the bottom of the sixth inning.
The Rangers have not fared well lately against the Mariners. They are winless against Seattle in their last eight meetings. This includes a four-game sweep at the hands of the Mariners at Globe Life Field in the days leading up to the All-Star break in July. The middle game in this three-game series is set for Saturday evening at 6:15 PM Central. Lefty Marco Gonzalez (7–11, 3.98), will get the start for the Mariners. The Rangers, meanwhile, will send right-hander Dane Dunning (2–6. 4.04 ERA) to the hill.
Friday’s Offense
The game stayed scoreless until the top of the third inning. A groundout by Ty France enabled J.P. Crawford to score. This also allowed Julio Rodriguez to advance to second base. The Rangers answered right back in this bullpen game. In the bottom of the third inning, a groundout by Marcus Semien allowed Ezequiel Duran to score. The Mariners added to their offense in the top of the fourth inning. Carlos Santana, and Adam Frazier were both waved home on a two-run single that came off the bat of Julio Rodriguez.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Rangers were able to cut the Mariners’ lead to one run in this bullpen game. A single by catcher Jonah Heim drove in shortstop Corey Seager. Outfielder Adolis Garcia was able to advance to third base on the play. The Mariners scored again in the top of the eighth inning. A sacrifice fly lo left field by Crawford drove in Frazier to give Seattle a 4–2 lead. They added two more runs on a double by Eugenio Suarez. Mitch Haniger and Dylan Moore both scored on the play.
Bullpen Game
Teams around major league baseball have games like this every now and then these days. This has become known throughout baseball as a bullpen game. Sometimes a manager (Chris Woodward in this case) will use one of these opportunities to either give their starting rotation a rest, or get their bullpen some extra work. Right-hander Josh Sborz acted as the opener for Texas in this bullpen game. Sborz pitched a perfect first inning for the Rangers. In the top of the second inning, lefty Taylor Hearn came in to pitch.
Hearn tossed 2 2/3 innings. He gave up all three of the Mariners’ three runs. Hearn allowed those runs on three hits, and a walk. He also struck out one. Hearn took the loss for the Rangers. His record for 2022 now sits at 5–7, with an ERA of 5.31. Right-hander George Kirby got the winning decision for the Mariners. He pitched 5 2/3 innings. Kirby allowed two runs, both earned, on seven hits. He walked one, and struck out five. His record for 2022 now sits at 4–3, with an ERA of 3.39. No home runs were given up by either team, and there was no save recorded.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
Players/Managers Mentioned:
Chris Woodward, Jonah Heim, Marco Gonzalez, Dane Dunning, Ty France, J.P. Crawford, Julio Rodriguez, Marcus Semien, Ezequiel Duran, Adam Frazier, Corey Seager, Adolis Garcia, Eugenio Suarez. Mitch Haniger, Dylan Moore, Josh Sborz, Taylor Hearn, George Kirby, Carlos Santana
