Mariners: More concerns in series loss to Texas Rangers

The Mariners find their offense in Texas, but it is cancelled out by pitching issues as they lose two of three games versus the Rangers.

When reviewing the Mariners’ previous series against the Orioles, we summarized it as disappointing. For this series versus the Rangers, frustrating seems to be the appropriate word to use.

Following Friday’s 5-4 win there was plenty of encouragement, as the offense bounced back from being no-hit by Baltimore’s John Means. Combined with the bullpen being its usual clinical self, the stage appeared set to win the series against an opponent Seattle dominated last season.

In this respect the offense was even better on Saturday, with 11 hits and eight runs. However, it all went wrong after taking a 4-0 lead in the top of the second inning, during a game which the M’s really should have won..

In what was effectively a bullpen start, overuse of the relievers was the Mariners’ undoing. Will Vest and Anthony Misiewicz both gave up leads in what was ultimately a 9-8 loss.

This set the stage for an uninspired 10-2 loss on Sunday, which clinched the series win for the Rangers. Here are three takeaways from the three-game set, together with some other notable highlights:

3) Flexen toughs it out when needed most

On a peripheral level, it would be understandable to state Chris Flexen had a poor outing on Friday night. Certainly, allowing 10 hits and four earned runs while striking out just two batters in 6.1 innings is nothing to write home about.

However, as is often the case when it comes to baseball – or indeed any professional sport – it’s all about perspective. For example, of the 10 hits Flexen allowed, eight of these were singles.

Moreover, this alludes to the fact the 26-year-old did just enough to hang in there on a night when he clearly did not have his best stuff. With all the talk about how much the bullpen is being overused, lasting 6.1 innings cannot be underestimated, especially when you don’t have your A game.

Further quantifying Flexen’s resilience, consider that he allowed seven of his hits and all four of his earned runs during the first three innings. The Mariners were down 4-2 at this stage and it would have been understandable if manager Scott Servais made a change on the mound.

However, whether it be as a result of necessity or confidence – or a mixture of the two – Servais decided to stick with his starter. Flexen responded by holding the hosts scoreless and only allowing three singles during the remainder of his outing.

In the process, the former New York Met threw a season-high 97 pitches, which were also his most since a career-best 104 in August, 2017. This offers further proof of the faith Mariners’ management has in him.

Flexen admitted he probably wouldn’t have been able to get out of his early funk in years past. However, through maturity and experience, he is now in a better position to deal with adversity.

The Newark California native was candid about what went wrong for him in the initial stages of his outing. Speaking to the media he said:

“I think today they definitely capitalized on a lot of mistakes. Giving up 10 hits, missed locations a lot. I didn’t have a curveball or a cutter early on. The changeup was the only thing working for me early on. For me it comes down to execution. When I’m not executing, the ball’s flat, the ball’s up and it’s going to get hit.”

Flexen deserved credit for the way he turned his performance around. However, he seemed more focused on praising the team as a whole for the comeback win:

“We got some big defensive plays. When I got punched, our offense punched right back and then our bullpen did one hell of a job slamming the door there. That was huge – a good team win.”

Overall, Flexen has been more up than down so far with his play for the Mariners. And in a season where there has been inconsistency and injuries for the rotation to contend with, this is invaluable.

NEXT: DEVELOPING INTO AN ALL-AROUND ASSET