When 3 p.m. came and went, the playing field of T-Mobile Park was almost vacant save for a few members of the grounds crew making last-minute adjustments to the manicured playing surface.
Normally for an evening game, the field would be alive with Mariners players, preparing for that night’s game. Pitchers would be throwing, infielders would be doing their normal work with Perry Hill and batting practice would soon follow.
But there wasn’t a player to be seen.
Why?
Well, manager Scott Servais decided that his team would have a “show and go” type of pregame routine. There would be no early work from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., there would be no normal pregame workout, which ranges from 3 to 5 p.m. It was more of a just show up and play.
Nope, the players were instructed to arrive a little later, relax in the clubhouse for an hour or two before preparing for the game in an effort to remember that baseball, for all its intensity and pressure, is still a game. And games are supposed to be fun.
“Coming in tomorrow, we’re gonna try a little something a little different pregame,” Servais said after Tuesday’s 5-0 loss to Texas. “We might show up a little bit later, just roll it out there and play. It’s kind of like you did when you were in Little League. You didn’t show up five hours before the game and worried about the opponent and all this stuff. You just showed up, made sure your uniform was clean, maybe had something to eat just in case you needed it and then you went out and played a game. So we’ll give that a shot tomorrow.”
This isn’t a new ploy or strategy. Servais has done this before with teams. Eric Wedge once used the strategy when the Mariners had lost 17 games in a row in 2011. He told his team not to arrive to Yankee Stadium before 5 p.m. for a 7 p.m. game to clear their heads and relax. The Mariners ended the streak that day with a 9-2 win. It helped that Felix Hernandez, who was in his prime, made the start that day.
So why do it?
“Just try something different,” Servais said. “What’s the worst thing that can happen?”
Indeed, the Mariners have lost eight of their last 11 games while playing subpar baseball. It can’t get much worse than it’s been.
“Those of us who’ve been around the game for a long time know it’s kind of customary when you go through a bad stretch and you show up a little bit later,” Servais said. “You take less of the focus off, ‘Oh I’ve got get my swing right, I’ve got all this other stuff to do.’ It’s just to get out of the routine a little bit and hopefully that helps tonight, but it’s about playing the game 6:40 p.m. and not this stuff behind the scenes. We’re just trying to shake it up a little bit and see what it brings.”
During the recent struggles, the Mariners have scored one run in five of those eight losses and were shut out in another. With Julio Rodriguez and Eugenio Suarez missing a healthy portion of the past 11 games because of injuries, Servais has seen some of his hitters pressing at the plate, trying to make up for their absences.
There have also been uncharacteristic miscues in the field that are more mental than physical. The Mariners, a team that played loose and free to get into this position for the postseason, have looked tight.
“We haven’t played as clean of baseball you typically see from us,” Servais said. “Our decision making — maybe we give away an at-bat in a particular spot that we shouldn’t because you’re trying to do too much. It’s, ‘I’ve got to get the big hit here. I need to get this guy in. I’ve got to get something going. I’m going to try to hit a home run here.’ It’s just trying to do too much. I said it all along the strength of our team is the depth of our team and each of them leaning on each other. That’s what’s going to get us to where we need to go. We’ve got to believe in it.”
Robbie Ray said he would like to see the out of town scoreboard turned off so players couldn’t watch it during the game to see what the Orioles, Rays or Blue Jays were doing that night. But the scoreboard was on during the game.
The TVs in the clubhouse were turned to coverage of Hurricane Ian and not MLB Network.
“You’re gonna tell people what to look at?” Servais said. “It’s hard. I mean, we’re human.”
Notes
- Rodriguez (lower back strain) is expected to resume some baseball activity before Thursday’s game and pick up his activity level over the weekend in preparation for returning from the injured list Monday for the final series of the season.
- The Mariners hope that Suarez (index finger fracture) will be able to play third base at some point over the weekend vs. Oakland. Suarez was reinstated from the 10-day injured list on Tuesday and was put in the lineup at designated hitter because he still feels some discomfort throwing.