"We're not really tripping."
Yesterday was extremely tough, but Scott Servais and this team should have earned the trust of the fanbase by now.
Yesterday was tough, there is absolutely no doubt about it. When you are playing a team like the Houston Astros you need to win games like that, especially when getting six runs off one of the best pitchers in the MLB.
Certain decisions were questionable. Paul Sewald has been struggling with confidence and control recently, and the team has hinted he has been banged up lately. It would make more sense to deploy him earlier in the game in a lower-leverage spot to try to get him rolling again. Erik Swanson was not used in the game once again, as he has not appeared in this year’s postseason yet.
The Robbie Ray decision is the one that will get the heat, but with better execution from players like Andrés Muñoz early in the game, you don’t have to worry as much later on. Ty France was thrown out on a questionable send by third base coach Manny Acta that would have given Seattle another chance to score runs.
My point is you cannot point to the decision by Scott Servais to throw Robbie Ray in the ninth and blame him for this loss. This was a loss that had many contributing factors, the biggest one most likely being that the Houston Astros are a really good team.
Seattle could have made different decisions that may or may not have impacted the outcome of this game. But as Scott Servais addressed in his press conference Wednesday afternoon, the decision is all part of the process.
Servais is likely going to win the American League Manager of the Year Award next month. He has been a steady and consistent leader of this team, the team who snapped the playoff drought. His decisions were not loved on Tuesday, but they certainly could have been helped by better execution from his two best relievers.
On Thursday Seattle will send Luis Castillo to the mound, followed by George Kirby on Saturday. If they win tomorrow with their ace on the hill the series would be 1-1, traveling to their home ballpark for a fanbase as hungry for playoff baseball as any.
Coming out of Houston with a split is an outcome any Mariner fan would have gladly accepted, and although they squandered a great opportunity, a great one remains.
This team and their manager have earned every bit of respect and support we can give them. You simply cannot quit on a team like this. They have come back from 10 games under .500 to give us one of the best seasons in franchise history, not to mention the fact that they are going to be a contender for years to come.
It is easy to forget they just had one of the greatest comebacks in postseason history just 4 days ago. If this team has shown us anything it is that they are not going to roll over and quit, so we should not quit on them.
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