Ranger Bullpen Can’t Lock It Up

For the second time in a week, the Texas Rangers’ bullpen let them down. The Seattle Mariners know the feeling.

David Bell’s run-scoring single in the eighth inning gave the Mariners a 5-4 victory over the Rangers on Saturday in the next-to-last game in the Kingdome.

Seattle rallied after its bullpen gave up three runs and the lead to Texas in the top of the inning.

“That’s going to happen and that’s probably going to happen again,” Bell said of the Rangers’ near-miss comeback. “I don’t think anyone hung their head after that.”

After today’s game against the Rangers, the Mariners will move into Safeco Field, a $517 million ballpark built across the street from the Kingdome.

Charles Gipson led off the eighth with a walk off Mike Venafro (2-1) and John Mabry sacrificed him to second. Bell then hit a grounder through the middle off Tim Crabtree to drive in the go-ahead run.

“We committed the cardinal sin,” Texas Manager Johnny Oates said. “We scored three runs to tie it up and then walked the leadoff guy in the bottom of the eighth.”

The Rangers have given up the fewest walks in the American League. But they walked five and four of them scored, including the winning run against Seattle.

“With the bullpen we have, we were in position to win today and we just didn’t do it,” said Rafael Palmeiro, who grounded into a game-ending double play against Jose Mesa.