Stone on the debacle

[Cascade Kid]

It should be asked, why did Cal call for RR to throw two straight fast balls to this hitter? A lot went unfathomably wrong in the final innings of this game.

If it was Cal's decision then absolutely. Might not of been though.

If Cal's decision or not the question is still very valid. The pitch sequence does not seem to make sense to me when RR has a very good slider, especially once RR got to 0-1 on Alvarez.

[Michael K.]

Servais had numerous options after Pena’s hit. He could have left in Sewald to try to get out the left-handed hitting Alvarez, one of the most fearsome power bats in the league (37 homers, .613 slugging percentage). He could have called for another lefty arm with more relief experience than Ray, Matt Boyd. He could have brought in Erik Swanson, a reliable arm most of the season until struggling down the stretch. He could have walked Alvarez and instead attacked Bregman, though that would have put the tying run in scoring position. He could have brought in George Kirby, who closed out Sunday’s win but is likely slated to start Saturday in Seattle.

Odd, yet, SS was an idiot for using Sewald because he struggled down the stretch. I guess we didn't have many options that DIDN'T struggle down the stretch now did we? Ask the guys making millions to do what they are paid for. That is what the manager did. Sorry, this is 100% on the three guys that couldn't do their job, and that is being nice. Sewald was dogshit, absolute dogshit. It's one thing to walk a rookie, it's another thing to basically never throw that kid anything he even has to offer at. Straight up choke job, and if anyone should never pitch again this post season it's him. I couldn't BELIEVE ball four. I was still screaming at his dumb ass on the TV when he struck out Altuve. Didn't care, I KNEW the game was over as soon as that chump drilled a rookie with one out and no one on on a fucking 3 and 2 Pitch. Straight up shit on his shoes. I will have PTSD every time I see him in a Mariners uniform.

[D-train]

Servais had numerous options after Pena’s hit. He could have left in Sewald to try to get out the left-handed hitting Alvarez, one of the most fearsome power bats in the league (37 homers, .613 slugging percentage). He could have called for another lefty arm with more relief experience than Ray, Matt Boyd. He could have brought in Erik Swanson, a reliable arm most of the season until struggling down the stretch. He could have walked Alvarez and instead attacked Bregman, though that would have put the tying run in scoring position. He could have brought in George Kirby, who closed out Sunday’s win but is likely slated to start Saturday in Seattle.

Odd, yet, SS was an idiot for using Sewald because he struggled down the stretch. I guess we didn't have many options that DIDN'T struggle down the stretch now did we? Ask the guys making millions to do what they are paid for. That is what the manager did. Sorry, this is 100% on the three guys that couldn't do their job, and that is being nice. Sewald was dogshit, absolute dogshit. It's one thing to walk a rookie, it's another thing to basically never throw that kid anything he even has to offer at. Straight up choke job, and if anyone should never pitch again this post season it's him. I couldn't BELIEVE ball four. I was still screaming at his dumb ass on the TV when he struck out Altuve. Didn't care, I KNEW the game was over as soon as that chump drilled a rookie with one out and no one on on a fucking 3 and 2 Pitch. Straight up shit on his shoes. I will have PTSD every time I see him in a Mariners uniform.

Swanson was close to perfect his last four outings and hadn't given up a run since the KC melt down almost 3 weeks ago. Sewald had just got shelled 3 days ago.

[D-train]

[Michael K.]

I am far more interested in who told Robbie to throw the second fastball down Broadway than I am why he was in the game.

[Michael K.]

Sounds like it was actually sinker. I mean, isn't that basically just a cut fastball? Still, you can't throw it down the middle unless the "sink" is going to be in the dirt!

https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/mar ... 1-of-alds/

But the silence in the Mariners clubhouse made a funeral look like a frat house. The only guy making any kind of noise was Sewald, who walked into the room cursing to himself.

“We had the lead and coughed it up,” said Sewald, who expressed frustration at himself and said he was “shocked” that Ray gave up the homer. “It shouldn’t have gotten to Robbie. That’s how I feel.”

Ray wasn’t quite as loquacious.

What was your approach on the pitch?

“I was just trying to get the sinker on him, it just didn’t get there,” he said.

What’s going through your head right now?

“Just frustrated.”

There are few things easier than questioning a manager’s decision after the catastrophe, but Servais is fair game here. Sewald might have given up a single and a walk, but he also had two strikes on the hitters who reached base and struck out eight-time All Star Jose Altuve. Plus, there were other shutdown relievers in the bullpen such as Erik Swanson. Or Matthew Boyd, if Servais wanted the lefty-lefty matchup.

But he went with Ray.

It didn’t work.

[Juliooooo]

The thing driving me crazy is all the dogs arguments people are making "yordan boots lefties better than righties". Go look at the stats and his OPS and SLG are higher against righties. One guy even tried to use WRC+, which is comparing how he hits vs other players against lefties to prove why he hits Lefties better than righties.

"Yordan has smashed Robbie Ray". 1 guy posted an erroneous stat, and everyone ran with it. He is 1/3 with a single and 2 BB against Ray in his career.

I get the argument for using Swanson, but he was a very risky choice as well.

[D-train]

Sounds like it was actually sinker. I mean, isn't that basically just a cut fastball? Still, you can't throw it down the middle unless the "sink" is going to be in the dirt!

https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/mar ... 1-of-alds/

But the silence in the Mariners clubhouse made a funeral look like a frat house. The only guy making any kind of noise was Sewald, who walked into the room cursing to himself.

“We had the lead and coughed it up,” said Sewald, who expressed frustration at himself and said he was “shocked” that Ray gave up the homer. “It shouldn’t have gotten to Robbie. That’s how I feel.”

Ray wasn’t quite as loquacious.

What was your approach on the pitch?

“I was just trying to get the sinker on him, it just didn’t get there,” he said.

What’s going through your head right now?

“Just frustrated.”

There are few things easier than questioning a manager’s decision after the catastrophe, but Servais is fair game here. Sewald might have given up a single and a walk, but he also had two strikes on the hitters who reached base and struck out eight-time All Star Jose Altuve. Plus, there were other shutdown relievers in the bullpen such as Erik Swanson. Or Matthew Boyd, if Servais wanted the lefty-lefty matchup.

But he went with Ray.

It didn’t work.

Yeah he said sinker but maybe to save face or it was a sinker that didn't sink that is basically just a fast ball.

[Cascade Kid]

I am far more interested in who told Robbie to throw the second fastball down Broadway than I am why he was in the game.

I think both of those questions correlate. Since it has been brought up that this was a developing possible scenario the 7th inning by SS, then SS' thought process would be to go after whomever the batter was and not dance around the batter using RR. Big emotional mistake.

[Juliooooo]

Sounds like it was actually sinker. I mean, isn't that basically just a cut fastball? Still, you can't throw it down the middle unless the "sink" is going to be in the dirt!

https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/mar ... 1-of-alds/

But the silence in the Mariners clubhouse made a funeral look like a frat house. The only guy making any kind of noise was Sewald, who walked into the room cursing to himself.

“We had the lead and coughed it up,” said Sewald, who expressed frustration at himself and said he was “shocked” that Ray gave up the homer. “It shouldn’t have gotten to Robbie. That’s how I feel.”

Ray wasn’t quite as loquacious.

What was your approach on the pitch?

“I was just trying to get the sinker on him, it just didn’t get there,” he said.

What’s going through your head right now?

“Just frustrated.”

There are few things easier than questioning a manager’s decision after the catastrophe, but Servais is fair game here. Sewald might have given up a single and a walk, but he also had two strikes on the hitters who reached base and struck out eight-time All Star Jose Altuve. Plus, there were other shutdown relievers in the bullpen such as Erik Swanson. Or Matthew Boyd, if Servais wanted the lefty-lefty matchup.

But he went with Ray.

It didn’t work.

Yeah he said sinker but maybe to save face or it was a sinker that didn't sink that is basically just a fast ball.

It was his 2 seam, that is his new pitch this year I think. Should have been the 4 seam above the zone, or the slider out of the zone.