Darvish struggles early as Mariners top Rangers
Yu Darvish allowed five runs in five innings, including four two-out runs in the first, and the Rangers managed only four hits Sunday in a 7-3 loss to the Seattle Mariners.
Carlos Gomez hit a two-run homer in the second inning, but the Rangers didn’t have another runner reach second base
Darvish struggled with his command early on. Though he walked only one and hit another, Darvish allowed eight hits and frequently found himself languishing in deep counts.
The first two Seattle batters reached to start the game before Darvish struck out Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz. But Kyle Seager ripped a two-run double on a 3-0 pitch to plate the game’s first run, and the second scored on a passed ball.
Danny Valencia then hit a two-run homer for a 4-0 first-inning lead.
How Rangers hitters fared: Their streak of consecutive 10-run games ended against a pitcher who entered with a 10.61 road ERA. ... Adrian Beltre singled with two outs in the sixth for career hit No. 2,958. That hit knocked out starter Christian Bergman, who allowed only two runs. ... Those came in the second as Rougned Odor walked on four pitches with one out and Carlos Gomez followed with a home run. ... The Rangers didn’t score again until the seventh, when they plated one run without a hit. The first two batters were quick outs before the next four went hit by pitch, walk, walk, walk. A wild pitch that nearly hit Shin-Soo Choo during allowed the run to score.
How Rangers pitchers fared: Yu Darvish dug an early hole, allowing four runs in the first, and then couldn’t pitch past the fifth. ... The right-hander allowed the first two Mariners to reach before striking out Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz, but Kyle Seager double for a 1-0 lead. ... Darvish crossed up catcher Robinson Chirinos, who was charged with a passed ball that brought in another run before Danny Valencia launched a two-run homer. ... Darvish finished strong with three scoreless innings but was done after 99 pitches in five. ... Jeremy Jeffress continued to trend upward with two scoreless innings. ... Left-hander Dario Alvarez failed to retire the two lefty hitters he faced in the eighth, and both ended up scoring for a 7-3 lead. Alvarez threw 33 pitches and recorded two outs. ... Ernesto Frieri made his Rangers debut in the ninth and recorded the last two outs.
Jeff Wilson: 817-390-7760, @JeffWilson_FWST
This story was originally published June 18, 2017 at 5:53 PM with the headline "Darvish struggles early as Mariners top Rangers."