Dyson blows another save as Rangers swept in Seattle

Sam Dyson blew his third lead of the season Sunday, this time failing to hold a one-run lead in the ninth-inning and opening the door for the Seattle Mariners to sweep the three-game series against the Texas Rangers with an 8-7 victory.

Nomar Mazara connected for a solo homer in the ninth to give the Rangers a 7-6 lead, but Jarrod Dyson started the ninth with an infield single that Sam Dyson deflected with his pitching hand.

After a steal of second, Dyson failed to make a play on a Leonys Martin bunt and then walked pinch hitter Mike Freeman intentionally to load the bases.

Dyson then walked Mitch Haniger to tie the game, and Nelson Cruz won it two batters later with an infield single.

Shin-Soo Choo homered and drove in five runs as the Rangers build a 6-1 lead in the third inning, but Cole Hamels quickly allowed a three-run homer to Haniger and was lifted after five innings with a 6-4 lead.

The Mariners tied the game with runs in the sixth and seventh against Tony Barnette, and Matt Bush kept the game tied at 6-6 with by striking out the side in the eighth in his first outing since having a shoulder exam last week.　　　

How Rangers batters fared: The Rangers looked like they would keep hitting all day after scoring three runs apiece in the second and third innings. ... Shin-Soo Choo accounted for five of them, connecting for a three-run homer in the second and a two-run double in the third. The five RBIs were his most in a game since Sept. 17, 2010, for Cleveland at Kansas City. ... The Rangers disposed of mound nemesis Hisashi Iwakuma after only three innings, but then saw the Mariners bullpen retire nine straight. ... The Rangers had another chance in the seventh, but Nomar Mazara and Rougned Odor missed chances with runners in scoring position. Odor flied out to the right-field wall with the bases loaded to end the inning. ... The Rangers loaded the bases again in the eighth, an inning that saw Joey Gallo robbed of a two-run homer, but Elvis Andrus struck out to end the inning. ... Mazara gave the Rangers the lead in the ninth with a leadoff homer off Mariners closer Edwin Diaz.　

How Rangers pitchers fared: Cole Hamels left with a lead for the third consecutive start to open the season, but he would be the first to admit that he needed to be better. ... His throwing error on a pickoff to first base led to an unearned Seattle run in the first. ... Hamels went to the mound in the sixth with a 6-1 lead, but saw it trimmed to 6-4 in the matter of three batters after Mitch Haniger hit a three-run homer. ... Hamels got threw the next two innings without yielding anymore runs, but at 95 pitches he was done after five. ... Tony Barnette couldn’t hold the lead. The right-hander allowed two doubles in the sixth for a run and a solo homer to Guillermo Heredia to start the sixth and tie the game. ... Matt Bush returned to the mound and struck out the side in the eighth. ...

This story was originally published April 16, 2017 at 6:51 PM with the headline "Dyson blows another save as Rangers swept in Seattle."