ARLINGTON, Texas — Joe Beimel personified the Seattle Mariners’ recently besieged bullpen in Wednesday afternoon’s 7-2 loss at the Texas Rangers.
A one-run game got away quickly when Beimel allowed four of the five batters he faced to score. The rally began with a hit batter and ended with back-to-back-to-back home runs by Mitch Moreland, Mike Napoli and Elvis Andrus, the first homer coming on an 0-2 pitch.
Beimel said afterward that he has been fatigued for the last week or so. He thinks there is a knot in his back and felt on Wednesday like he was “throwing through mud.”
“I thought I’d be able to kind of fight through it,” he said.
His five most recent appearances consist of 1 2-3 innings, 10 earned runs on eight hits plus three walks and a hit batter.
Mike Montgomery (4-6) gave up three runs in the first inning and then shut out Texas over his final five innings.
Mark Trumbo hit his 15th homer this season, his sixth since joining the Mariners. It was his fifth career homer off Derek Holland (1-1), his most off any pitcher.
Seattle manager Lloyd McClendon said he’s concerned with Beimel because he has been elevating his pitches but didn’t want to say more until he learns Beimel’s health situation.
The Mariners came to Texas following a three-game series in Boston in which their relievers pitched 19 2-3 innings and allowed 24 runs — including an inning pitched by catcher Jesus Sucre in a 22-10 loss. In Monday’s series-opening loss to the Rangers, former closer Fernando Rodney retired only one of five batters and allowed the winning run to score on a walk.
Holland was making his first major league start after a four-month stint on the disabled list due to a shoulder injury. A key contributor to Texas’ pennant winning teams in 2010-11, he allowed two runs in 6 1-3 innings on eight hits with no walks.
Nelson Cruz, a former Rangers teammate, said he was surprised by Holland’s effectiveness given his layoff.
“More mature,” Cruz said. “He was throwing his breaking pitches early in the count for strikes. Those are the ones that are tough to command.”
