It was fun while it lasted. Mitch Moreland’s home run put the Rangers ahead early until an ugly six-run fifth inning by the Mariners.

There’s not a whole lot to say about yesterday’s game. So this one will be mercifully short.

Yesterday, in four-and-a-third innings, Derek Holland threw ninety-two pitches. Forty-nine of those were balls. More than half of the pitches Holland threw yesterday were out of the strike zone. Unfortunately, the pitchers that were strikes were balls that were hit hard.

After two brilliant starts in a row in which he threw a shutout and an eight-inning three hitter, the guy with the Wild Thing haircut has derailed like Charlie Sheen. In his last three starts, Holland has given up seventeen earned runs. He has been hit hard and often.

Maybe he’s injured. Maybe he’s scared (after almost getting drilled in the head a few starts back). Maybe he’s just going through a bad patch.

But the rotation needs to have Derek Holland delivering strong starts right now. This thing is far from over. The Wild Thing has to be anything but.