Rangers Lose To Mariners In 13
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SEATTLE – Texas Rangers 20-year-old phenom Jurickson Profar started Sunday’s game against Seattle by demonstrating that the team with the best record in the American League has another weapon.
More than four hours — and 11 pitching changes — later, the Mariners’ Jason Bay ended it.
Bay, who had a potential game-winning home run stolen by Texas left fielder David Murphy in the 11th, hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 13th inning, giving the Mariners a 4-3 victory that ended Seattle’s eight-game losing streak.
Bay’s two-out single to left field scored Kendrys Morales from third, ending a marathon game that started with Profar’s historic homer.
One day after recording a pair of hits off Seattle ace Felix Hernandez, Profar moved into the leadoff spot and homered off Mariners starter Hisashi Iwakuma to start Sunday’s game. He became the youngest player in 55 years to lead off a game with a home run, and Texas eventually took a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the sixth inning.
Seattle’s Morales, in the sixth, and Raul Ibanez, in the 11th, hit home
runs that tied the game each time.
Morales added a one-out double in the 13th, moved to third on a Carlos Triunfel sacrifice bunt, then scored on Bay’s bloop single to left.
The Rangers used eight pitchers, three of whom pitched less than 24 hours earlier in a 5-2 win over the Mariners. Right-hander Ross Wolf (1-1) ended up taking the loss, while closer Joe Nathan blew a save earlier in the game for his first blown save in 17 opportunities this season.
Seattle’s Yoervis Medina, one of five pitchers used by the Mariners, earned his second win of the season despite giving up a hit and two walks in 1 2/3 innings of work.
Over the past nine games, Seattle has made 30 pitching changes. In seven of those games, the Mariners have used four pitchers or more.
Profar, who was called up to fill in for injured second baseman Ian Kinsler, has now hit in four consecutive games while batting .278 in a week of action.
Sunday marked his first start in the leadoff role, as the Rangers were intending to give Elvis Andrus a day off. Profar opened the game with a home run to right field, becoming the youngest player since 18-year-old Kansas City Athletics infielder Lou Klimchock in 1958 to lead off a game with a homer.
The Rangers added a run on Leonys Martin’s sacrifice fly in the second for a 2-0 lead, which held up until Seattle’s Morales hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth.
Texas starter Nick Tepesch retired the first nine batters he faced and seemed to be cruising until Morales took him deep in the sixth. Tepesch struck out the next batter, then gave way to the Texas bullpen. The 24-year-old right-hander pitched 5 2/3 innings, giving up five hits and two runs while not factoring into the decision.
Seattle’s Iwakuma turned in another quality start despite the leadoff homer he served up to Profar, but he also got a no-decision for his effort. He went eight innings, allowing five hits and two earned runs while striking out eight.
Mariners closer Tom Wilhelmsen came on in a non-save situation in the ninth inning, during which he needed only six pitches before returning for the 10th. Wilhelmsen matched his longest outing of the season by pitching two scoreless innings, although it took only 17 pitches to do it.
The Rangers (32-18) finally broke the tie when pinch hitter A.J. Pierzynski singled in a run with one out in the top of the 11th, giving Texas a 3-2 lead with Nathan warming up in the bullpen.
But Nathan blew the save on his first pitch, which Ibanez sent 358 feet into the right-field seats to tie the score 3-3 in the bottom of the 11th. Three batters later, Bay looked like he had a game-winning homer, only to have it taken away when Murphy reached over the wall to make an inning-ending catch.
Bay had another chance to win it in the 13th, when he hit Wolf’s first pitch over the shortstop for a game-winning single.
Seattle (21-29) is now 2-4 in extra-inning games this season.
