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Rangers' Dyson 'pissed off' after 3rd straight blown save

Tim Heitman / USA TODAY Sports

If Sam Dyson keeps pitching like this, he won't be able to call himself the Texas Rangers' closer for much longer.

Dyson's woeful start to 2017 continued on Sunday when he entered the game at Safeco Field armed with a 7-6 lead in the ninth inning, and couldn't hold it yet again despite not allowing a ball to leave the infield. After the Seattle Mariners tied the game on Mitch Haniger's bases-loaded walk, Nelson Cruz put the Rangers to bed with an infield single that Elvis Andrus couldn't corral, giving Seattle a much-needed 7-6 victory and a series sweep.

Batter Result
Jarrod Dyson Infield Single
Leonys Martin Bunt Single
Mike Freeman INT BB
Mitch Haniger BB; RBI
Robinson Cano Force Out 4-2
Nelson Cruz RBI Single

Since arriving in Texas via a July 2015 trade, Dyson has been mostly untouchable working out of the team's back end of the bullpen. Last season, he emerged from a shaky relief corps to take over as Texas' closer, and recorded a 2.43 ERA and 38 saves in the role for the AL West champion.

But 2017 has been an entirely different story. The 28-year-old has blown all three of his save opportunities this season, and took the loss on Opening Day when he allowed three runs after entering that game in a 5-5 tie. Dyson has allowed at least three earned runs in three of his six outings; his only two scoreless frames came in a pair of garbage-time outings.

"I'm borderline pissed off and angry. You'd think so after four outings like that," he told reporters, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "I'm confident in my stuff. I feel like I executed my stuff. I got the ball on the ground. I just didn't get the job done."

Sunday's loss bumped Dyson's ERA up to an even 27.00, while his WHIP now sits at 3.50. He's also seen a small dip in velocity from last year, as his two-seam fastball - the pitch he uses most - is averaging 94.3 mph compared to 2016's 95.1, according to Fangraphs.

Rangers manager Jeff Banister didn't remove Dyson from the closer's role after Sunday's game, but acknowledged that option is starting to gain a little more steam.

"We'll have those discussions," Banister told Wilson. "I'm not going to talk about my confidence in Sam. It's obvious we need for Sam to be good. He's an integral part of that bullpen. Without him in that bullpen and without Keone (Kela) here, it's a situation where we need for Sam to rebound and do what he can do out of the bullpen."

Although Dyson pitched the fateful ninth on Sunday, he wasn't the only Rangers reliever who let this game get away. With his team up 6-4 after five, Tony Barnette allowed a pair of runs in 1 1/3 innings of work, including a game-tying solo shot to Guillermo Heredia. Nomar Mazara's ninth-inning solo homer briefly gave Texas the lead again before Dyson entered.

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