This loss is on Sevais

There are plenty of narratives to describe the M's loss to Houston last night.  Whatever the reason, the  Astros did to Seattle what the Mariners have done since the season started, they clubbed them to defeat, hitting three home runs, two of them grand slams.

The common narratives, live by the gun, what goes 'round, upstart schooled, phoney unmasked, quality will out, even my regressing to the mean, are irrelevant right now.  They lost snd whether this game means anything depends less on what happened ladt night than what occurs next.  Now we will see what this team is really going to be.

Good teams shake it off and get back to doing what worked so well up until the sixth inning last night.  Bad teams start to believe the narratives that their 13-2 start was all illusion or good luck and begin to play like the .500 (or worse) team they were predicted to be.  

They may have provided a clue already.  An inning after losing their 3-2 lead to Altuve's salami, the M's pulled within one run on some heads-up small-ball of the purest sort.  Gordon singles, steals second; Smith strikes out but makes it to first after Peacock throws a third-strike wildpitch, allowing Dee to score from second.  Haniger strikes out as Smith steals second.  Peacock throws the ball away trying to pick-off Mallex which allows him to score when Santana grounds out to the right side.  Two runs on one hit, a single?  I'll take that to the bank all day.  

That leaves the M's down one run with two innings to go... at home.  They've just won two games like that, coming from further behind against KC.  It's not a sure bet, but it's not a long shot either.  But, KC is not Houston and R. J. Alaniz is definitely not Rosscup, Swanzak, Elias, Brennan, Swanson or Sadzeck who held off the Royals so the Ms could come back.  The Ms had two losses before last night, both the result of a bullpen failure.  Make that three now.

And this failure might be more Servais fault than Alaniz.  Alaniz, called up from Tacoma the night before was making his major league debut.  What were Servais or pitching coach Paul Davis thinking?  Alaniz had pitched the previous inning.  He wasn't impressive.  He gave up back to back singles, one to Gurriel.  The 8th starts ok, two outs then a single (warning?) a walk (alarms go off?) another walk to load the bases (red lights flashing?).  

So here we are.  Down by a run.  Astros have the bases loaded.  A 27 year-old making his major league debut, starting in on the Houston line-up for the second time, facing Gurriel who hit a line drive single the first time he saw Alaniz...   Alaniz has just given up back to back walks.  Scott turns to Paul, I imagine, and asks "think he's tired?  Time for a change?" There had been a mound visit after the first walk.  Who know what Servais thought, whatever, he left the new kid in, who throws ball one, then grooves a 91 mph fastball to Yuri G.

They had all those relievers who had done the job in KC, minus Swanson, and they stay with Alaniz?

I feel sorry for the kid.  He should have been out of there after his first debut inning.

To their credit the fightin' Ms rally a little in the ninth... too little too late.

After this one you can select whatever doomsday narrative you want... I'm sticking with this team.  They got something.

This loss is on Servais.