Seattle ? Texas shortstop Alex Rodriguez, who has played in 376 straight games, was out of the starting lineup Wednesday night because he said he was too tired.

But he came into the game as a pinch-hitter in the ninth and flied out to right fielder Ichiro Suzuki with two men on base, extending his consecutive games streak to 377.

Rodriguez, who leads the majors with 55 homers and 135 RBIs, was 5-for-32 in his previous eight games. The Rangers were playing at Seattle.

“It’s been a long season and I didn’t get the All-Star game off, either,” he said. “This stretch has got a little bit of the best of me.”