Run-less in Seattle: Texas Rangers’ road woes at Mariners continue in consecutive losses

SEATTLE ― The day was lost before it even started.

First, it began in Seattle, where things have been futile for the Rangers for five seasons now. Futility is one thing, but hopelessness is something else. And when George Kirby takes the mound in Seattle against them, it’s as hopeless as it gets.

And Sunday was just another chapter in that saga. In a 7-0 loss to Seattle, the Rangers managed just one hit in seven innings against Kirby. In other words, more of the same. In six career starts against the Rangers in Seattle, Kirby is 5-0 and has allowed one run in 37 innings. The math comes out to a 0.24 ERA.

“We just can’t figure him out,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said.

They’ll get another chance next week when Kirby faces them in Arlington. There he’s much more vulnerable, having allowed four runs in 11 ⅔ innings over two more Seattle wins.

But, hey, at least in Arlington, the Rangers occasionally find a way to beat the Mariners. Seattle has become the latest portal to purgatory for the Rangers, joining Houston. The Rangers finished the season in Seattle 1-6. The lone win came on Thursday when they scored three runs late. They are 8-32 at T-Mobile Park since 2020, which is only slightly worse than their 11-35 mark in Houston. If the Rangers are going to contend for AL West titles again, these figure to be the two places they’d better learn how to win.

“It starts with their pitching,” Bochy said of the Mariners’ dominance in Seattle. “They’ve done a good job on us.”

In all the Rangers managed one baserunner Sunday on Ezequiel Duran’s second-inning single. He was erased by Carson Kelly’s double play. Relievers Trent Thornton and Eduard Bazardo pitched two perfect innings to finish if off. The Rangers sent the minimum number of hitters (27) to the plate. The last time they batted at least nine times and sent the minimum to the plate was Sept. 20, 2019. They’ve been no-hit twice since then and still managed more of a threat than they did against Seattle on Sunday.

In fact, the only thing that broke up the monotony of the beating was a stare-down between Seattle’s Randy Arozarena and Rangers catcher Jonah Heim after Arozarena hit a seventh-inning homer off Gerson Garabito that made it 5-0.

Arozarena gave a joyful batflip and followed with a leisurely stroll around the bases. When he crossed the plate, Heim followed him back towards the Mariners’ dugout for a couple of steps, presumably reminding him of the rules of proper celebratory etiquette. Arozarena was more intent on greeting Aquaman, er, teammate Julio Rodriguez, who was standing on the top step of the dugout holding Seattle’s home run trident. Arozarena proudly jammed the trident to the ground. The next time up, he got plunked in the arm with a 2-2 pitch by Garabito. The Mariners bench was ready to grab their pitchforks and rush the field. Arozarena suggested everybody chill. It seemed like a good idea.

“You know what: I don’t get caught up into that stuff anymore,” Bochy said. “It’s part of the game, it seems like today. And he had a good time with it.

“He got hit, but I don’t think [Garabito] would wait until the fifth or sixth pitch to do it. He was trying to go in there. It happens in baseball. You occasionally get hit. We got hit a time or two in this series, too. Anyway, he went down the line and it was over.”

Oh, it was over long before that.

It was over when George Kirby took the mound.

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