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SEATTLE -- Scott Feldman hasn't been announced as a permanent replacement for Neftali Feliz in the Rangers' rotation, but he looked like the other two starting pitchers during the three-game series with the Mariners in one way: He allowed walks to turn into runs.

He didn't top Yu Darvish's six-walk performance Monday, but he came close. Feldman's command was shaky in the second and fifth innings in Wednesday's 5-3 loss. His five walks gave the Mariners 13 free trips to first base off the Rangers' starters, including Matt Harrison, this series. It resulted in seven of the Mariners' 12 runs in three days.

Feldman walked the bases loaded to start the second against the Mariners' Nos. 3, 4 and 5 hitters. Michael Saunders' sacrifice fly would score the only run 0f the inning thanks to a couple of groundouts, but it resulted in an early 1-0 deficit.

Feldman seemed to find a groove, retiring eight straight heading into the fifth, but that inning started with a walk to Saunders. Mike Carp followed with a single, and an error by Ian Kinsler at second base advanced runners to second and third. Feldman intentionally walked Dustin Ackley to load the bases up for Alex Liddi with one out, and Liddi made Feldman pay on the first pitch. The grand slam on an inside fastball barely cleared the left-field wall over the scoreboard, but it was four runs nonetheless.

"Walking that many guys, I was dodging bullets all day, and then finally they got me in the fifth there. It finally caught up to me," Feldman said.

Robbie Ross entered the game, ending Feldman's night after five runs allowed on three hits and five walks in 4 1/3 innings.

Feldman hadn't thrown in eight days entering Wednesday's contest, and it was only his eighth appearance this season.

"I’ve been doing as good as I can to try and stay sharp," Feldman said. "The last couple times just haven’t been good."

Rangers manager Ron Washington said he isn't going to hold too much of this start against Feldman when judging him as a possible replacement for Feliz. Washington said Feldman made one bad pitch.

"It’s unfortunate that the one that he made put four runs on him," Washington said. "I thought he was doing a good job.

"There's decisions to be made and we'll make decisions, but you can't put that on Scotty."

Although Washington hasn't made any commitment, Feldman is preparing with the intention of starting Tuesday when what had been Feliz's turn comes up in the rotation.

"My fastball was decent but all the other pitches were lacking the command that I need," Feldman said. "I'm going to work really hard these next few days in between starts and throw a lot of pitches and work on that kind of stuff."

The bats went relatively silent and Scott Feldman wasn't able to get out of the fifth inning in a 5-3 loss to the Seattle Mariners. Texas did score three runs in the eighth to get closer, but it wasn't enough.

What it means: Texas went 3-3 on this road trip. They end 20 straight games without a scheduled off day at 10-10.

Offensive drought: Since the second inning of the final game in Houston, the Rangers have scored eight runs in 35 innings. ... In the last 10 games, Texas has scored 35 runs (an average of 3.5 per game). Coming into Wednesday's game, they had hit just .251 (78-for-311) in the last nine games. The Rangers have gone 4-6 in the last 10 games. ... The eighth inning did keep the Rangers from getting shut out. They haven't been shut out this season, along with the Orioles, Indians, Tigers, Diamondbacks and Giants.

PODCAST
Manager Ron Washington joins ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM's Bryan Dolgin following the Rangers' 5-3 loss in Seattle on Wednesday. Listen

Grand slam: Alex Liddi's grand slam in the fifth ended Feldman's day and pushed the Mariners lead to 5-0. The inning started with a leadoff walk -- usually a killer -- and a single just over a diving Elvis Andrus. Ian Kinsler dropped a throw to second on a pickoff attempt and with one out Dustin Ackley was intentionally walked to load the bases in the hopes of a double play. Instead, Liddi hit the first pitch he saw from Feldman to left field for the grand slam. ... The last opponent to hit a grand slam off the Rangers was Scott Sizemore of the A's on Sept. 10, 2011 off Yoshi Tateyama.

Feldman can't get through five: Feldman, filling in for the injured Neftali Feliz, wasn't able to get out of the fifth inning. After the grand slam, he was taken out in favor of lefty Robbie Ross. In 4 1/3 innings, Feldman gave up five runs on three hits with five walks (one intentional).

Walks: The Rangers pitchers are starting to have issues with walks. They came into the road trip second-to-last in the AL in walks, but in Seattle they've had issues. Feldman was the latest one. He walked the first three batters he faced in the second inning but managed to get out of the inning with only one run allowed (on a sacrifice fly). ... Yu Darvish walked six on Monday and three scored. Matt Harrison had two walks in the first inning Tuesday and one of them scored. Harrison, however, rebounded from it and didn't walk another batter. ... The Rangers issued 15 walks in this three-game series.

Wasted chance early: Yorvit Torrealba hit a fly ball to left field that should have been caught by Alex Liddi. It wasn't and Torrealba ended up at second (he wasn't running hard out of the box, thinking it was going to be caught) with no outs. But Mitch Moreland, Kinsler and Andrus weren't able to get him home.

Beltre's day: Third baseman Adrian Beltre came in hitting .300 on the road trip (6-for-20) and added a double in the fourth -- but was stranded -- and a two-run homer in the eighth.

Up next: The Rangers get an off day Thursday before playing three at home against Toronto and three at home against Seattle before heading to Anaheim.

SEATTLE -- Yorvit Torrealba is in at at catcher for the finale of the Rangers' three-game series against at Seattle. Manager Ron Washington is giving catcher Mike Napoli the day off. Torrealba will bat eighth in the lineup. Here's how the rest of the order looks:


Rangers
2B Ian Kinsler
SS Elvis Andrus
CF Josh Hamilton (L)
3B Adrian Beltre
DH Michael Young
LF David Murphy
RF Nelson Cruz
C Yorvit Torrealba
1B Mitch Moreland

Mariners
2B Dustin Ackley (L)
LF Alex Liddi
RF Ichiro Suzuki (L)
3B Kyle Seager (L)
C Jesus Montero
1B Justin Smoak (S)
CF Michael Saunders (L)
DH Mike Carp (L)
SS Brendan Ryan

RICHARDSON, Texas -- Join us for a live in-game chat from Fox & Hound off Campbell and 75 in Richardson (click here for a handy map that editor Mauro Diaz managed to put on the blog ... impressive) at 2:30 p.m. Master Tesfatsion is in Seattle and will also be joining us. The room is now open for you to ask some early questions and participate in polls. We'll start chatting around 2:30 p.m. or so.

SEATTLE -- There's a package sitting near the entrance of the Rangers' clubhouse at Safeco Field with catcher Mike Napoli's name written on the outside of the box.

Inside the box are a number of Napoli's bats just waiting to be used at the plate, but he won't see an at-bat in Wednesday's game. He's got the day off with Yorvit Torrealba behind the plate.

Even if he did get a plate apperance, odds are it wouldn't be pretty, given his recent slump. Napoli said he doesn't feel comfortable at the plate recently. He's batting .210 (13-of-62) in May and slugging .290 with a .315 on-base percentage.

"Right now, I get in there and sometimes I feel good, sometimes I don’t," Napoli said. "More times, I don’t."

Rangers manager Ron Washington said it seems as if Napoli is consistently swinging at balls and not strikes. Napoli has at least one strikeout in 32 of 39 games played. He added to his total Tuesday with an 0-for-3, three strikeout performance. The sliver sombrero gives Napoli 49 strikeouts this season, which puts him in a tie for third in the American League with the Toronto Blue Jays' Kelly Johnson and the New York Yankees' Curtis Granderson.

"It takes time," Washington said. "Sometimes you’re in a funk and it just takes time. You just got to keep battling and all of a sudden one pitcher gives you an opportunity to feel good about yourself and then you’re rolling."

The numbers are similar to the season he had last year, when he struggled through May and June before landing on the disabled list with a strained left oblique muscle June 12. He went on to have a monster second half, posting a .386 batting average and slugging .706.

"You can ask any player and there's a part of the year that they struggle, and there's a part of the year that they know things are going to be right," Washington said. Maybe May is his time. It's only our second year with him. Maybe it's the time that he struggles and then he comes out of it."

Despite his woes at the plate, Napoli said the only thing keeping him sane is his play behind the plate. That was on display in Tuesday's 3-1 victory. After the game, pitcher Matt Harrison said he felt he was on the same page with Napoli, which helped him settle in after the first inning.

"There’s a lot of parts to the game he can play and if one of them isn’t working, just play the other one," Washington said. "He’s doing a good job with that."

Napoli isn't worried about his recent performance and knows it can take a few at-bats to feel comfortable again. He isn't giving up until he reaches that point.

"I’m going to keep grinding and going until I figure it out," Napoli said.

Notes: Thanks to Harrison's ability to eat up innings Tuesday, Washington said every pitcher is available from the bullpen after pitcher Scott Feldman. Harrison went seven innings and picked up the win due to two solid outings from Mike Adams in the eighth with two on and no outs and Joe Nathan in the ninth.

"Everyone is rested, so it's up to Feldman to take us as deep as he possibly can," Washington said.

The Rangers will finally get a day off Thursday after a stretch of 20 games.

SEATTLE -- The Rangers and Mariners will wrap up their three-game set with RHP Scott Feldman taking on RHP Kevin Millwood. The day game will start at 2:40 p.m. on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM and FSSW.

Feldman (0-1, 3.00 ERA): Feldman will pitch on eight days rest as he fills in for Neftali Feliz in the rotation. … He’s 3-3 with a 3.54 ERA in nine career starts against the Mariners. …In two previous starts this season, he’s 0-1 with a 2.00 ERA. ...Feldman became the first Rangers pitcher to get a losing decision without allowing an earned run since C.J. Wilson on July 21, 2011 in his last start. He allowed two unearned runs in 4 2/3 innings against the Kansas City Royals on May 14. … Feldman is 1-1 with a 4.26 ERA in two starts at Safeco Field.

Millwood (2-4, 4.17 ERA): The former Rangers pitcher will make his ninth start with the Mariners. …He pitched a two-hit complete-game shutout in his last start against the Colorado Rockies on Friday. It was his 22nd career complete game and sixth career shutout. …He’s 0-2 with a 4.15 ERA in four career starts against the Rangers. …Millwood allowed a run on four hits in six innings in his first start against the Rangers this season on April 11. …Millwood is fourth in innings pitched (2,609.0), strikeouts (2,011) and games started (423) among active pitchers.

Hitters: Mike Napoli (6-for-16), Michael Young (2-for-4) and Josh Hamilton (3-for-7) have hit well against Millwood. …David Murphy (0-for-6), Mitch Moreland (0-for-5) and Nelson Cruz (0-for-2) are hitless against Millwood. …Ichiro Suzuki has the most hits among Mariners against Feldman (9-for-29). …Michael Saunders (1-for-7) and Justin Smoak (2-for-4) each have hit a home run off Feldman. …Miguel Olivio (0-for-6) and Chone Figgins (8-for-35) have struggled against Feldman.

Up Next:

Thu.: OFF DAY
Fri. vs. Tor.: LHP Derek Holland (3-3, 4.27) vs. Brandon Morrow (5-2, 2.63), 7:05 p.m., ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM/1540/TXA-21
Sat. vs. Tor.: RHP Colby Lewis (4-3, 3.30) vs. RHP Henderson Alvarez (3-4, 3.30), 2:05 p.m., ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM/1540/FSSW
Sun. vs. Tor.: RHP Yu Darvish (6-2, 3.05) vs. RHP Kyle Drabek (4-4, 3.27), 2:05 p.m., ESPN Dallas 103.3/1540/FSSW

Join me for a live in-game chat from Fox & Hound in Richardson at 2:30 p.m. today. I know that's an in-between time, but if you can make time for a late lunch or stop by on the way home from work (I'll be there until at least 6 p.m.), we'd love to have you join us. It's a chance to meet some of the other chatters and talk about the Rangers.

If you can't attend, jump in the chat room starting at 2:30 as the Rangers take on the Mariners in the final game of this three-game series.

Address to Fox & Hound: 112 W Campbell Road (Central and Campbell):


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SEATTLE -- Texas Rangers starter Matt Harrison knew he was off in the first inning, but he kept his cool. Coupled with some great defensive plays, Harrison was able cruise from then on to collect his second win this month, a 3-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners.

PODCAST
Rangers manager Ron Washington talks with Bryan Dolgin immediately following the Rangers 3-1 win in Seattle. Listen

Harrison ran into trouble early on after allowing his only two walks of the game. Alex Liddi got a free pass after a nine-pitch at-bat in the first and scored three batters later on a single by former Ranger Justin Smoak. Harrison followed that with an eight-pitch walk to load the bases with two outs, which brought pitching coach Mike Maddux out to the mound.

It took a one pitch, a 404-foot flyout from Casper Wells, to get Harrison out of the jam. Josh Hamilton made a leaping catch into the center field wall.

“I don’t what kind of catch he made, but he was able to run it down,” said Harrison, who threw 35 pitches in the first. “He’s an outstanding defensive player. It was great play to get me out of a jam. It could’ve been either way.”

Harrison said he thought he was overthrowing a bit during the inning, so he backed up on his fastball. He said it helped with his command and allowed him to settle in.

“I felt really good coming into the game,” Harrison said. “I felt like my arm felt the best today as it has all season.”

His defense was able to lend a helping hand. Harrison induced a double-play ball in the second to erase a leadoff single by Michael Saunders. And Hamilton made another leaping grab in the third, robbing Liddi of an extra base hit.

“He kept them in the big part of the field,” manger Ron Washington said. “It says 405 out there [in center field], but it plays like 445.”

Harrison said he had his best changeup of the season and was also able to work his curveball for strikes. Even with his first-inning struggles, Harrison was able to throw 75 of his 114 pitches for strikes and finished with six strikeouts.

“I thought he did a tremendous job after that first inning,” Washington said. “They fought him in that first inning pretty good and got his pitch count up. Then after that, he began to pound the strike zone.”

Washington left Harrison in the game in the eighth after he struck out Dustin Ackley to end the seventh, but Harrison gave up back-to-back singles to start the inning. Washington pulled Harrison with no outs, but Mike Adams came on and was able to leave Liddi and Ichiro Suzuki stranded on the bags.

“I had no doubt when I sent him out there and I had no doubt when I went and got him,” Washington said. “I felt good when I sent him out there. He was throwing the ball really good. It just didn’t work out.”

Washington will certainly take a one-run pitching performance, especially considering how it started and how Harrison's last two starts finished. Harrison lost his last two decisions before Tuesday’s game, allowing seven earned runs in 11 1/3 innings to the Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Angels.

“I hope he understands what it takes to go deep in the ballgame,” Washington said. “That’s to make the opponents swing the bats and make that good defense behind you play.”

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Rangers and Mariners play Game 2 of a three-game set. Let's chat all about it. The room is now open for you to post some early questions and participate in polls. We'll start chatting closer to game time. The game starts at 9:10 p.m. on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM and FSSW.

SEATTLE -- Adrian Beltre received a text message Tuesday morning from Seattle Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez. And yes, you guessed it, they were still talking trash to each other the day after Hernandez pitched a one-run gem against the Rangers on Monday.

Beltre and Hernandez practically have their own language when it comes to trash talking. While Beltre was at third base in the bottom of the eighth, he was exchanging signals with Hernandez in the Mariners dugout. It lasted nearly the entire half inning.

"We both started," Beltre said. "It’s on and it’s been on. It’s on weeks before, a month before, before and right after the game. It’s always on."

Beltre pretended to spit on the ground, which he said meant the two were discussing Hernandez's changeup.

"I always tell him he’s going to try and strike me out with his changeup and I’m going to spit on that thing," Beltre said. "It’s not that good."

The two were teammates in Seattle from 2005-09 and are now in their second season as division rivals. Beltre said he yelled during his entire trot around the bases after he took King Felix deep last season. Hernandez took it like a man, as Beltre described. Hernandez said he was going to dance on the mound if he struck out Beltre, but he didn't get the opportunity Monday.

"Hopefully it won't happen," Beltre laughed.

Beltre said he doesn't have quite the relationship, or friendly rivalry, with anyone in the league like he has with Hernandez. He watched Hernandez develop as a 19-year-old pitcher and helped show him the ropes in the majors.

"I saw a lot of myself in him when he came up and I did everything I could to make sure he stands out," Beltre said. "He's one of those guys that's a hard worker, too, and you can tell where he's at now. He's a guy that understands and wants to be one of the best and feels he's one of the best."

Beltre said Hernandez has shown in the last five years that he's at least a top-5, maybe even top-3, pitcher in baseball despite the lack of run support he receives.

"From the outside looking in, it looks like a waste that a player of his caliber on a team that's not really helping him but he grew up here and likes it here," Beltre said. "Personally, I would like to see that team get better and get the opportunity to win something. Or for him to go somewhere else where he's going to see everything that he put into the game and accomplish something like get in the playoffs or go to the World Series or win a World Series. That's for me personally because I'm a good friend and I really love him, I would like to see that."

SEATTLE -- Rangers manager Ron Washington is sticking with the same lineup for the second game against the Seattle Mariners. Michael Young will be the designated hitter with Mitch Moreland at first base. David Murphy is in left field and Josh Hamilton in center. Here are the lineups:

Rangers
2B Ian Kinsler
SS Elvis Andrus
CF Josh Hamilton (L)
3B Adrian Beltre
DH Michael Young
LF David Murphy (L)
RF Nelson Cruz
C Mike Napoli
1B Mitch Moreland

Mariners

DH Dustin Ackley (L)
3B Alex Liddi
RF Ichiro Suzuki (L)
C Jesus Montero
1B Justin Smoak (S)
2B Kyle Seager (L)
LF Casper Wells
CF Michael Saunders (L)
SS Brendan Ryan

SEATTLE -- The second game of this three-game series features Rangers LHP Matt Harrison and Mariners RHP Hector Noesi. First pitch is at 9:10 p.m. on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM and FSSW. Here’s a closer look at the starting pitchers:

Harrison (4-3, 5.21 ERA): Harrison is scheduled to make his ninth start this season Tuesday on four days' rest. … He’s 1-3 with an 8.10 ERA in his last five starts after starting 3-0 with a 1.66 ERA. … Harrison has won his last five starts against the Mariners. He went 4-0 in four starts last year with a 1.98 ERA. … He’s won all three starts at Safeco Field and holds a 1.25 ERA in five career games in Seattle. … In 13 games against the Mariners, Harrison is 6-1 with a 2.67 ERA. It’s his most wins against any opponent. … Harrison’s .125 opponents batting average against left-handed hitters ranks second in the majors behind the New York Mets’ Johan Santana.

Noesi (2-4, 5.61 ERA): In his last outing, Noesi allowed a run on five hits in 6 1/3 innings against the Cleveland Indians. … He’s 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA in three starts at Safeco Field. ... He’s 0-1 with a 13.50 ERA in two games, one start, against Texas in his career. … In his start against the Rangers earlier this season, Noesi gave up seven runs on six hits in three innings.

Hitters: The Mariners have a .183 batting average against Harrison. ... Dustin Ackley (0-for-11), Mike Carp (0-for-10) and Miguel Olivo (0-for-14) are hitless against Harrison. ... Ichiro Suzuki leads the team with seven hits off Harrison (7-for-31). ... It’s a small sample size, but Nelson Cruz (2-for-2) and Mitch Moreland (1-for-2) have each homered against Noesi. … Elvis Andrus (1-for-2), Adrian Beltre (1-for-3), Josh Hamilton (1-for-2) and Michael Young (1-for-3) have collected hits off Noesi.

Up Next:

Wed. at Sea.: Scott Feldman (0-1, 3.00) vs. RHP Kevin Millwood (2-4, 4.17), 2:40 p.m., ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM/1540/FSSW
Thu.: Off day
Fri. vs. Tor.: LHP Derek Holland (3-3, 4.27) vs. Brandon Morrow (5-2, 2.63), 7:05 p.m., ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM/1540/TXA-21
Sat. vs. Tor.: RHP Colby Lewis (4-3, 3.30) vs. RHP Henderson Alvarez (3-4, 3.30), 2:05 p.m., ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM/1540/FSSW

SEATTLE -- Mike Adams made his return to the mound in the eighth inning Monday after dealing with a respiratory virus.

Adams said he felt fine in his first appearance since Thursday. He controlled his breathing to help his lungs out, but he doesn't think it will be a concern moving forward.

His stuff felt even better.

Adams didn't allow a runner. He was able to locate his fastball and his off-speed pitches, which he used to strike out Casper Wells and Brendan Ryan.

"It's good to not only get to get back out there but to get my confidence back and get it going again," Adams said.

He said it was difficult to get a feel for the ball the past few weeks. His ERA jumped from a 1.00 to 2.51 in his last eight appearances. He has the bullpen's last two defeats and allowed a walk-off home run against the Toronto Blue Jays to Brett Lawrie on May 1.

He played around with the baseball for a few days to regain the grips and it paid off in his best appearance this month.

"I slowed my body down a little bit and just focused on executing my pitch instead of trying to throw everything by people," Adams said.

SEATTLE -- Maybe it's the Northwest green uniforms. Or the fact that Japanese icon Ichiro Suzuki is on the team. Whatever the case, Yu Darvish had another short outing on the mound against the Seattle Mariners.

Darvish lasted just four innings -- his shortest start in nine trips to the mound -- and allowed four earned runs on four hits and six walks in a 6-1 loss Monday night.

It appeared to be the pitchers duel everyone anticipated between Darvish and Felix Hernandez after two innings, but Darvish couldn't find the strike zone as his outing progressed.

Suzuki had an RBI triple in the first inning, but Darvish ended up striking out the side with his slider. Darvish faced the minimum in the second inning, but the wheels came off in the third.

Five of Darvish's six walks came in the third and fourth innings. Suzuki drove in his second run in the third on a ball Darvish left over the middle of the plate.

"Early part of the game, I was ok with my command," Darvish said through an interpretor. "But somewhere in the middle when I needed to throw strikes, I struggled to get strikes in those situations."

He didn't get off to a great start in the fourth. Darvish walked the bases loaded, yet managed to give up just one run thanks to some key force-outs at the plate on plays by third baseman Adrian Beltre and shortstop Elvis Andrus. He struck out Kyle Seager in what would be the last batter he faced.

"It's kind of tough giving up four hits and five runs," Mike Napoli said. "When you walk people, it's pretty tough to minimize damage."

Washington had a lengthy talk with Darvish in the dugout after his outing. He told Darvish he was pulled mainly due to his high pitch count, despite how he finished the fourth. Darvish threw 96 pitches.

"He actually didn't know how many pitches he had, and I was trying to explain to him we're not out to hurt you," Washington said. "That's a lot of pitches in a short period of time, and we need him for the rest of the season."

The Mariners are the only team to rack up more than three earned runs on Darvish, and they've now done it twice. It's the only team Darvish has faced more than once. The Mariners collected five earned runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings against Darvish in his first career start. The Mariners have accounted for nine of Darvish's 19 earned runs this season.

Darvish even apologized to Washington for his outing.

"He expected more, but I told him he didn't have to apologize to me," Washington said. "It's a part of baseball. It happens. But I'm more than certain when he sees Seattle again, he'll have something for them."

Darvish said Washington's comments were reassuring. He was disappointed he couldn't go deeper into the game and felt his overall approach Monday wasn't good.

"Next time I want to make sure that I don't go through that and improve on it," Darvish said.

Join us for a live in-game chat as the Rangers' Yu Darvish takes on Felix Hernandez and the Seattle Mariners at 9:05 p.m. on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM and FSSW. This should be fun. Master Tesfatsion is in Seattle for the series and we'll have others (like Richard Durrett) chatting as they watch with you on TV. So join us all week for chats. The room is now open for you to ask some early questions and participate in polls. We'll start chatting around the first pitch.