Rangers fall flat to Mariners but keep lead on Astros

Earlier this season in Cleveland when the Texas Rangers were closing in on .500 after a poor start, manager Jeff Banister was asked if the milestone meant anything to him.

“The day we start worrying about if we’re .500 or one game over .500 or below .500 really goes against the concept that we’ve set out for all spring training,” said Banister, before invoking the change in mindset that he was part of with the Pittsburgh Pirates after years of losing.

“Five-hundred never was our goal. As soon as we got rid of that thought process, that ballclub took off. It was just a mark in the road and it was a part of the journey getting us where we want to go.”

The sentiment — the mandate even — remains intact, despite the entirely different circumstances that Banister and his club find themselves in at the moment.

After an emotional, four-game sweep of the Houston Astros put the Rangers in first place in the American League West, the Rangers were quick to return to that familiar refrain.

He answered his own question. Knowing the makeup of his clubhouse, with veteran leaders such as Adrian Beltre and Prince Fielder, he’s confident one of the best qualities of this team is it’s short-term memory.

“The thing I have confidence with is the ability to bounce back for our ballclub,” he said. “The ability to wash it off. I think that’s where their confidence is at, also. That allows them to be loose. Plus, this coaching staff is not going to walk around here like our feet are on fire waiting for something to happen.”

It’s “S.O.P.,” Banister said, standard operating procedure. “The mission is not done. They get that. They have greater sights.”

Friday’s starter Yovani Gallardo left after a leadoff single in the sixth, trailing 3-1. The Mariners scored three times in the second, including a two-run double over the third-base bag that precipitated Banister’s ejection. Banister thought third base umpire Chris Guccione moved his feet, which he thought meant the play could be reviewed.

“I know ... when the umpire does not have to move that it’s not reviewable,” said Banister, who was ejected for the fifth time. “But any time the umpire has to move then it becomes a reviewable play. That’s my understanding. It looked like he moved his feet to get out of the way.”

Replays appeared to show it was, indeed, a fair ball.

Gallardo hasn’t lasted more than six innings in any of his past 15 starts. His ERA has risen from 2.56 on July 2 to 3.41.

“I made the pitch that I wanted to; it was part of the plan that Bobby [Wilson] and I had,” said Gallardo of Ketel Marte’s double. “I think for him to hit it right down the third-base line and being fair, it’s one of those things that’s just tough. But you’ve still got to go out there and give the guys a chance after that.”

Gallardo was also the victim of a bloop, run-scoring single in the same inning.

But if Banister knows his club, Friday’s defeat will leave no residue — just as the emotional series against the Astros didn’t elicit any over the top excitement. Banister saw no letdown. By the end of the night, the Astros had also lost, so the Rangers remained 2  1/2 games ahead in the AL West.

“You lose a ballgame, and the opposing pitcher does his job, and it doesn’t necessarily look good, but there’s not a letdown there,” he said. “We didn’t put balls in play to drive in some runs. But there’s no let down in there.”

Texas was 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base. Shin-Soo Choo had three of the team’s six hits. Choo has 10 hits in his last 13 at-bats.

In the ninth, the Rangers were retired in order, including Josh Hamilton, who struck out as a pinch-hitter. Hamilton had surgery on his left knee on Sept. 11 and hadn’t played in a game since Sept. 4.

Banister didn’t have to say what happens to those comfortable deer.

This story was originally published September 18, 2015 at 11:32 PM with the headline "Rangers fall flat to Mariners but keep lead on Astros."