The Seattle Mariners had their best chance to steal a win against the Houston Astros in Game 1 of the ALDS, but unfortunately, they came up short. After chasing Justin Verlander out of the game in just four innings, the Mariners looked prime to hold out and pick up a Game 1 win. The Astros fought back and narrowed the gap, entering the bottom of the ninth inning trailing by two runs in a 7-5 game. Paul Sewald recorded two outs in the bottom of the ninth before walking Jeremy Peña before Scott Servais made the shocking decision to bring in Robbie Ray for the final out of the game.
Ray failed to record that out, letting up a walk-off three-run home run to Yordan Alvarez after throwing just two pitches. While it can be argued that Ray is the Mariners' best pitcher, his numbers against the Astros indicate that Servais' decision to bring him in the game in that situation was nothing short of delusional.
Robbie Ray in 3 starts against the #Astros in the regular season:
10.2 IP, 10.97 ERA, 13 ER, 23 H, 6 HR.
Why is he in the game in the bottom of the ninth for the #Mariners
— Karl Rasmussen (@Karlras920) October 11, 2022
In three starts against the Astros during the regular season in 2022, Robbie Ray lasted just 10.2 innings. He surrendered 13 runs in that span off of 23 hits including six home runs. That's good for a 10.97 ERA and a 2.84 WHIP. There was no team in baseball against whom Ray performed worse.
In fact, in his two most recent starts against the Astros, Ray lasted a total of just 5.2 innings, never making it into the fourth frame. He let up 10 runs, three home runs, 15 hits and four walks during those two starts.
It's truly mind-boggling that Servais elected to take Sewald out of the game and bring Ray into the game for the most crucial out of the series. The Mariners may not find themselves in a better position to win. Failing to hold onto this game is a colossal failure, and the onus is on Servais.
Anyone looking at Ray's splits against the Astros would know better than to bring him in, during an unfamiliar situation, in what was the most important moment of Seattle's season. Ray hasn't made a relief appearance in the better part of the last half-decade, yet Servais deemed it the right time to turn to him in the bottom of the ninth, against one of baseball's most esteemed sluggers in Yordan Alvarez.
The lefty-lefty matchup did nothing for the Mariners, as Alvarez took Ray deep on a 438-foot nuke to right field on the second pitch of the at-bat. Talk about a controversial decision blowing up in your face almost immediately.
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