Distracted Mariners take beating

ARLINGTON, Texas – Another lost night for the Mariners ended with players packing up and not knowing whether they’d see each other again in 24 hours.

Five home runs led to the Texas Rangers’ 7-1 victory Thursday night and ensured that the Mariners will hit today’s trade deadline eight games out of first place in the American League West and 61/2 back in the wild-card hunt.

And now general manager Jack Zduriencik will have to decide whether to part with pitcher Jarrod Washburn and others.

Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said he’ll be glad when the whole thing is behind his club.

“You don’t want to lose guys, but it’s reality,” Wakamatsu said after his team was routed in front of 23,949 fans at Rangers Ballpark. “We may or may not.”

Wakamatsu went on to say of today’s 1 p.m. PDT deadline: “It’ll be good. It’s not a big distraction in here, but it will be good not to be worrying about it anymore.”

The New York Yankees are reported to be still making a push for Washburn. The Detroit Tigers are also in the market for another starter and a power hitter – something that Russell Branyan could provide if the Mariners were willing to move him. Branyan’s contract, like Washburn’s, is up at season’s end.

Branyan sat out a fourth straight game with what the team said is back stiffness, though he’ll supposedly be ready tonight.

New shortstop Jack Wilson must have spent his first Mariners game wondering whether he was still with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He went hitless and didn’t get to show off his shortstop prowess early on, because most of the balls being hit were traveling about 350 feet beyond his reach.

Mariners starter Garrett Olson gave up home runs to Hank Blalock, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Michael Young before the game was three innings old. Young hit his second of the game, a 430-foot rocket, off reliever Chris Jakubauskas immediately after he’d replaced Olson with two out in the fourth.

That made it 5-0 and Marlon Byrd closed out the home team’s scoring in the seventh with a two-run shot off Jakubauskas.

The M’s had one runner the first eight innings against Rangers starter Derek Holland, a single in the fifth inning by Jack Hannahan. Holland then yielded a walk and a single in the ninth before being pulled with two out, and Jose Lopez drove in Seattle’s only run with a single to right off reliever Warner Madrigal.

“I think he had a real good feel for the ball tonight,” said Mariners catcher Rob Johnson, whose walk off Holland in the ninth ended a streak of 10 straight batters retired and 24 of 25 set down. “He was locating the ball well.”

Wakamatsu said the team will now go in another direction filling Olson’s starting spot. As a reliever, Olson has a 2.76 earned-run average in 10 appearances, but it skyrockets to 6.49 in his 11 outings as a starter.

Rangers 7, Mariners 1

E—Hannahan (7). LOB—Seattle 4, Texas 5. 2B—N.Cruz 2 (18). HR—Blalock (20), off Olson; Saltalamacchia (8), off Olson; M.Young (15), off Olson; M.Young (16), off Jakubauskas; Byrd (10), off Jakubauskas. RBIs—Jo.Lopez (54), M.Young 2 (47), Byrd 2 (48), Blalock (50), Saltalamacchia 2 (32). RLSP—Seattle 2 (Shelton 2); Texas 3 (An.Jones 2, Andrus). RMU—Saltalamacchia. GIDP—Blalock, An.Jones. DP—Seattle 2 (Hannahan, Jo.Lopez, Shelton), (Hannahan, Jo.Lopez, Shelton).

Inherited runners-scored—Jakubauskas 2-0, Madrigal 2-1. T—2:20. A—23,949 (49,170).