Don't know what was most surprising about last night's 5-3 loss to Texas in Arlington. The fact that only eight runs were scored in the game, despite Horacio Ramirez matched up against Jamey Wright. Or the fact that Adrian Beltre committed two errors, the first on a high throw with two outs in the fifth inning, which led to Ian Kinsler hit a game-tying three-run home-run one pitch later. Those two-out errors seem to always get you every time.

Beltre's other throwing error, a high throw into right field in the seventh, allowed Travis Metcalf to score all the way from first base. Ian Kinsler scampered around to third, and scored when Gerald Laird put down a sacrifice bunt on a pitch that was around his eyes. I wonder when the last time the final score of a game at Ameriquest Field was decided on a sacrifice bunt to the pitcher?

So it's easy to pin the blame on last night's loss on Beltre, who also had an RBI single that extended his hitting streak to nine games. But Beltre has been playing solid defense all season, and hopefully last night's game doesn't lose him the Gold Glove. But a mark of a good team, or at least a good pitcher, is to overcome such mistakes and not let errors decide the outcome of the game. Horacio Ramirez allowed the game-tying home-run on the very next pitch, not Beltre. Take that one pitch away, and the M's may have been able to gotten away with a 3-2 lead. The win probability of last night's game showed just how the momentum swung in the Ranger's favor with that home-run, not surprisingly. And that is entirely HoRam's doing.

But last night's loss can't be entirely pinned on Horacio Ramirez either. He actually pitched one of his better games on the season- his four hits and three runs allowed in five innings was his best performance over a start that long this year. And of course unearned runs don't mean much, but this was his first start without giving up any. But in the end, it was the Ranger's batter who were more efficient, as they knocked in five runs on seven hits and three walks, while the M's went 2-for-15 with runners in scoring position, eventually stranding 11 runners, twice as many as the Ranger's five.

Of course, this was also the first game with a different line-up then we've seen in recent days. Plenty of Mariners have been calling for manager John McLaren's head, as he's used the same line-up for a number of consecutive days during a span in which the M's will play 37 games in 38 days as make-up games with Cleveland will be needed to be played. Finally, McLaren alters the line-up, giving Ichiro the night off and having Adam Jones (who went 0-for-4 with a run and two strike-outs) lead-off, and Willie Bloomquist start at shortstop in place of Yuniesky Betancourt, who's been hitting .341 with a .979 OPS so far this month. Take out tow of the team's hottest hitters, and little wonder they struggled to score runs last night, despite Jose Guillen delivering another exciting moment when he attempted to score from second on a short line-drive to left-field from Kenji Johjima which would've given the M's the lead.

All-in-all there was a feeling of aggressiveness in last night's game, as the M's seemed to attempt to slug the ball on every pitch (something they've become accustomed to in recent games) while you got the sense that the Rangers were attempting to hold off losing three straight games of a four-game home series.

Jarrod Washburn faces Vincente Padilla in the final game of the series. Washburn is coming off back-to-back starts in which he's allowed just two runs in both. However, Washburn has not enjoyed much success against Texas in two starts so far this season. In 9.1 innings, he's been roughed up for 17 hits and eight runs, seven earned. For his career, he's split decisions and allowed a 4.30 ERA in 144.1 innings, but at Ameriquest Field, he's allowed a 6.14 ERA and 12 homr-runs over 63 innings. Michael Young, as usual, has enjoyed success against Washburn, with a .358 average and 1.019 OPS in 53 at-bats.

Vincente Padilla, once looked as a promising candidate to solidify the Rangers' rotation, has been having a rough year, with a 3-9 record and 6.55 ERA in 17 starts. Padilla has also struggled mightily against Seattle, with a 1-5 record and 7.07 ERA over 35.2 innings, allowing 48 hits and six home-runs. When he faced Seattle last May, he allowed nine hits and seven runs over three innings- and that was at Safeco. No reason why the M's can't beat up on the Nicaraguan right-hander even more in Arlington. Adrian Beltre has punished Padilla in their match-ups. Though Beltre may just have five hits in 22 career at-bats, four of them have left the park, which equals out to a .227 average and 1.064 OPS. Raul Ibanez (.455, 1.227 in 11 at-bats), Ichiro (.550, 1.371 in 20 at-bats), and Jose Vidro (.333 average in 30 at-bats) have all had no problem with Vincente's offerings. Richie Sexson (.235 with six strike-outs in 17 at-bats), however, has struggled against Padilla.

I know I keep saying this, but I believe today's game well be an old-fashioned Texas-style slugging match-up. And I'[m picking the M's to come out on top, 11-7.