Manager Scott Servais and the Seattle Mariners were staring at a lot of statistics that should have dissuaded them from putting in usual-starter Robbie Ray to close out Game 1 of the ALDS against the Houston Astros. While the 31-year old southpaw had a solid 2022 season, pitching to the tune of a 3.71 ERA and amassing 212 strikeouts in 189 innings pitched, he struggled all-season long against the Astros.

Ray had a 10.97 ERA in 10.2 innings pitched (three starts) against the Astros, which made him a less-than-ideal candidate to get the final out of a crucial game. And the Mariners paid for it dearly after Ray surrendered a walk-off three run shot to Yordan Alvarez, losing the game 7-6 in the end.

Still, Scott Servais defended his (now-baffling) decision to put Robbie Ray in the game. He said that he merely continued to put his trust on the Mariners' process of player evaluation and in-game decision-making, which, to be fair, led to a 90-win season and an AL Wild Card Round triumph over the Toronto Blue Jays.

“You stay true to the process and understanding the pieces you have available that day to go ahead and hopefully finish off the game. It didn’t happen yesterday. It didn’t work out.” Servais said, per Seattle Times.

The Mariners' decision to roll with the process that has worked all season long is admirable, even if it proved to be their Game 1 undoing.

“A lot of it is tied into who is available, what the matchups are, and what our matchup numbers are, they’re developed by us. […] Every team has an analytical group that puts all the information together and it spits out a number to me and my coaching staff and the whole strategic group that puts together game plans and how we’re going to use guys. So you rely on it,” Servais added.

At first glance, the thought process behind Servais' decision is sound. Ray notably pitched better against lefties in 2022, allowing only a .647 OPS compared to a .739 mark against right-handers. However, Alvarez' platoon splits are negligible, having raked against lefties and righties alike.

Nonetheless, those are all in the past now, and Scott Servais and the Mariners need to put this crushing defeat behind them. There are still four games to go in the series, and Mariners fans will be hoping that Servais pushes the right buttons this time around.