Losing control

SEATTLE – Like consistent run production from the offense, the Seattle Mariners are still waiting for Brandon Morrow to produce a complete game on the mound.

Not in the sense of nine innings, although the Mariners would gladly take that from the right-hander they’ve converted from reliever to starter.

Eight, seven, even six innings would be an improvement.

It didn’t happen – again – Friday night in a 6-4 loss to the Texas Rangers when Morrow’s control hurt him and the Rangers’ home runs beat him at Safeco Field.

In his sixth game since being switched to starter, Morrow still hasn’t pitched past the fifth inning. He’d given up six hits, four walks and four runs to that point Friday, and manager Don Wakamatsu didn’t see any value in sending him out for another inning.

“He kept walking guys and we had to get him out of there,” Wakamatsu said.

The Rangers’ first home run didn’t hurt Morrow. Hank Blalock hit a solo homer in the second inning that made the score 2-1 after the Mariners had scored twice in the first.

It was the third inning that got Morrow.

He lost his control and walked Omar Vizquel and Ian Kinsler back-to-back with one out, then served up a first-pitch fastball that Michael Young hit out for a 4-2 Rangers lead.

Morrow pitched two more scoreless innings and was replaced by right-hander Chris Jakubauskas in the sixth.

Wakamatsu said Morrow didn’t have a feel for his curveball.

Morrow said he didn’t throw a curveball because catcher Kenji Johjima didn’t call any.

“I felt comfortable,” Morrow said. “I don’t know why I came out after 74 pitches.”

Morrow said his biggest problem was the lost command in the third inning.

“I had four solid innings when I was efficient with my pitches, and one inning where they got the big hit,” he said. “After I walked Vizquel, I lost command to Kinsler. I was missing with everything I threw, sliders down and fastballs up.”

The key to Morrow’s success, Wakamatsu said, is a better feel for his soft stuff.

“If he can harness that, I think you’re going to see a more complete pitcher,” the manager said.

In the eighth inning off reliever Shawn Kelley, Marlon Byrd hit a two-out single and Nelson Cruz followed with an upper-deck home run to left field.

Russell Branyan and Franklin Gutierrez hit RBI doubles in the first inning for a 2-0 Mariners lead and, despite having base runners in every inning but the third, they scored in only one other inning.

That was the eighth, when Gutierrez pushed home a run with a ground out and Kenji Johjima doubled to score Ken Griffey Jr.

The loss leaves the M’s 4½ games behind the A.L. West-leading Rangers.

Rangers 6, Mariners 4

LOB—Texas 5, Seattle 8. 2B—I.Suzuki (18), Branyan (16), Griffey Jr. (12), F.Gutierrez (10), Johjima (5). HR—Blalock (18), off Morrow; M.Young (11), off Morrow; N.Cruz (21), off Kelley. RBIs—M.Young 3 (37), Blalock (40), N.Cruz 2 (52), Branyan (47), F.Gutierrez 2 (37), Johjima (12). SB—I.Suzuki (19). CS—N.Cruz (2). RLISP—Texas 1 (Byrd); Seattle 6 (Langerhans, Branyan 3, Shelton, Jo.Lopez). RMU—Jo.Lopez, F.Gutierrez. GIDP—M.Young, Saltalamacchia, Cedeno. DP—Texas 1 (M.Young, Kinsler, Blalock); Seattle 2 (Cedeno, Branyan), (Branyan, Cedeno, Jakubauskas).

IR-S—Holland 1-0, Jennings 2-2, Olson 1-0. T—2:41. A—34,874 (47,878).