as well as 0.5 walks per nine innings. His longevity on the mound proved to be a particular asset; on June 30, with a 7–4 defeat of the New York Yankees, Lee pitched his third complete game in a row. He was the first MLB pitcher to do so since his former teammate C. C. Sabathia in 2008, and the first Mariner since Randy Johnson in 1998. That month, he received his second career AL Pitcher of the Month title. Despite his prowess on the mound, Seattle quickly fell behind in the AL West. By June 18, the Mariners were 16 games under .500 and games behind in the pennant race. Texas Rangers (2010) As the Mariners' season broke down, with the team 13 games behind in the AL West by mid-June, Lee became an acquisition target for multiple teams trying to improve their starting pitching before the MLB trading deadline. The New York Yankees were in talks to acquire Lee by sending catcher Jesus Montero, second baseman David Adams, and pitching prospect Zach McAllister to Seattle. The deal fell through, however, after Adams suffered a sprained ankle. The Mariners used the injury to attempt to restructure the trade package, but Yankees general manager Brian Cashman refused, effectively killing the trade. On July 9, 2010, the same day negotiations fell through with the Yankees, the Texas Rangers reached an agreement to trade first baseman Justin Smoak, prospects Blake Beavan, Josh Lueke, and Matthew Lawson, and $2.25 million to Seattle in exchange for Lee. Although Lee had been selected to appear in the 2010 MLB All-Star Game with the Mariners, the timing of his trade meant that he represented the Rangers when he pitched for the AL team on July 13, retiring Martin Prado, Albert Pujols, and Ryan Howard in a six-pitch fourth inning. Shortly afterwards, on August 6, Lee went eight innings in a 5–1 victory over the Oakland Athletics before Frank Francisco relieved him for a scoreless ninth inning. He started a total of 15 regular-season games for the Rangers, going 4–6 with an ERA of 3.98 and striking out 96 batters in innings of work. In addition to his performance on the mound, Lee's teammates and managers told The Athletic that they appreciated his clubhouse presence. Teammate Colby Lewis referred to the back half of the season as "relaxed fun", as the addition of Lee gave them confidence