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Seattle Mariners

Rangers batter Mariners’ bullpen for comeback victory

Seattle’s Kyle Seager, left, is congratulated after scoring on a passed ball during the fourth inning against the Texas Rangers Wednesday in Seattle. (Elaine Thompson / AP)
Seattle’s Kyle Seager, left, is congratulated after scoring on a passed ball during the fourth inning against the Texas Rangers Wednesday in Seattle. (Elaine Thompson / AP)
By Adam Jude Seattle Times

SEATTLE – James Paxton wasn’t particularly sharp Wednesday night. He walked four Texas Rangers in five innings.

Dan Altavilla, the first reliever out of the Seattle Mariners’ bullpen, wasn’t particularly sharp Wednesday night. Ryan Cook wasn’t either. Nor was Marc Rzepczynski.

Sensing a trend here?

Mariners pitchers walked seven batters Wednesday in a 7-6 loss to the Texas Rangers, who for the second night in a row denied Seattle a chance to catch the Houston Astros atop the A.L. West standings.

Tuesday night, the Rangers won the second game of the four-game series by taking advantage of the eight walks issued by Mariners pitchers. That resulted in a 9-5 Texas victory.

It was much the same Wednesday.

Brilliant in his first five May starts, Paxton couldn’t close the month with the same kind of dominance that has made him one of baseball’s most improved pitchers. He was pulled after laboring through five innings, on 89 pitches, having allowed two earned runs on four hits. He struck out five but struggled to command his off-speed pitches, walking four.

Paxton did exit with a 4-2 lead.

Altavilla allowed one run, unearned, in the sixth inning. He didn’t walk anyone, which was nice, but he did give up a sharp RBI single to Rangers catcher Robinson Chirinos, not so nice.

The Rangers’ Delino DeShields opened the seventh inning with a walk off Mariners right-hander Cook. Shin-Soo Choo singled, and both runners advanced on an Isiah Kiner-Falefa sacrifice bunt.

That prompted a call to Rzepczynski, the Mariners’ left-handed specialist, to face left-hander Nomar Mazara. Rzepczynski’s first pitch was laced into center field for a two-run single, tying the score at 5.

Rzepczynski intentionally walked Jurickson Profar, then unintentionally walked Joey Gallo. That loaded the bases and prompted another call to the bullpen.

Juan Nicasio’s first pitch to Chirinos was a double to right, scoring two runs to give the Rangers a 7-5 lead. In all, the Rangers scored four runs on three hits and three walks off three M’s relievers in the seventh inning.

Mitch Haniger gave the Mariners a 1-0 lead in the third when his two-out double scored Jean Segura.

The Mariners scored three runs in the fourth, benefiting from a passed ball and a wild pitch on back-to-back pitches from Rangers starter Matt Moore with runners at third.