After Wednesday's depressing 21-8 drubbing, the Seattle Mariners are now 5-5 against the Rangers, outscoring them by 17 runs.

The rest of Major League Baseball is 14-26 against Texas, outscoring them by -96 runs.

Against everyone else, the Rangers are a team with a .650 record (and a pythagenpat record to match). Against one of the lesser teams in baseball -- and, unfortunately, a division rival -- they have a mediocre record, and an even worse run differential.

Despite the beat downs they've suffered the past two nights, the Rangers still have the best record in the league, comfortably the best run differential in baseball -- still more than twice anyone in the AL -- and look like the best team in the game by just about any other measure. It's just that the Mariners are helping them establish a new floor for bad play, and keeping them from looking quite as good as they do against all other comers.

If this was an AOL chat session, this is where you'd see the frowny face emoticon.