Mariners’ beleaguered bullpen allows Rays to rally, walk off with victory

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The script played out almost exactly as Mariners manager Scott Servais had mapped it out.

For much of the game, anyway.

With rookie starter Bryan Woo needing a rest, and a beleaguered bullpen running on fumes, simply cobbling together a pitching plan to cover nine innings was going to be a challenge for Servais on Saturday.

The “B” team gave the Mariners a chance, at least.

And that was enough for Servais to speak encouragingly Saturday night, even after a 7-5 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays dropped the Mariners to 3-6 on their East Coast road trip.

“I give our guys a ton of credit. We played really hard today,” Servais said. ” … Going into it, I knew we were going to be short. We needed to stay scripted and stay with the plan. Because we still have a lot of big games to go, and you’ve got to make sure those guys are available here down the stretch.”

Translation: A small setback Saturday was worth it if it means Woo and the Mariners top relievers (Matt Brash and Andres Muñoz) are fresher over the next week.

Keeping with the theme of positivity, Servais noted the Mariners still have a chance Sunday to close out the 10-day, 10-game trip with a series split against one of the league’s best teams.

“Love the way our guys are competing,” he said. “And even walking out of the dugout today, it’s like, ‘Hey, man, you gotta forget it. We come back and win the game tomorrow, we’d split the series. (Then) get on the plane, go back home.’ And that’s what this team is about. They don’t quit. They keep fighting. We’ll show up tomorrow and be ready to go.”

The Mariners (79-63) and Rays (87-56) could meet in the opening-round of the playoffs.

If that does happen, it’s highly unlikely you’ll find Servais turning to left-hander Tayler Saucedo in the bottom of the ninth inning of a tie game to face the Rays’ Yandy Diaz.

Saucedo has been a terrific story for the Mariners this season, but Diaz has been one of the league’s best right-handed sluggers. He’s crushed left-handed pitching to the tune of a .314/.388/.539 slash line (.927 OPS).

But the Mariners’ plan had Saucedo pitching the ninth.

There weren’t really any other options, frankly.

And that matchup, the result could have been scripted.

Diaz hit a line-drive, two-run home right to the opposite field, just clearing the Tropicana Field wall in right, sending the Rays to a walkoff victory.

Saucedo executed the pitch he wanted there, mostly, throwing a change-up just off the plate in the bottom third of the zone.

Diaz still found a way to hit it out.

Facing the bottom of the Rays’ lineup, Saucedo had coaxed two quick groundouts to start the inning, but he ran into trouble when he walked No. 9 hitter Taylor Walls. That brought Diaz back around.

Mariners pitchers walked five Rays.

“And three of them ended up scoring,” Servais noted.

Diaz had beaten the Mariners’ other left-handed reliever, Gabe Speier, with a pinch-hit double that gave the Rays a 5-4 lead in the seventh inning.

Speier was furious with plate umpire Nic Lentz, believing he’d thrown strike three on the pitch before on the inside corner. He didn’t get the call.

“Really close,” Mariners catcher Brian O’Keefe said.

“Probably could’ve gone either way. Just didn’t bounce in our favor today.”

That was especially true for O’Keefe, the Mariners’ backup catcher called up from Class AAA Tacoma last month when veteran Tom Murphy went down to a thumb injury.

O’Keefe appeared to have his first major-league home run in the top of the seventh inning, which would have extended the Mariners’ lead to 5-3.

O’Keefe rounded the bases, high-fived teammates in a celebratory jaunt through the dugout, and even got to hold The Trident for the first time.

Except, ooof, after a review, umpires ruled the hit a double for O’Keefe. The ball had hit the very top of the wall in left field and bounced back into play.

“I was pretty fired up about it,” O’Keefe said. “And then I saw the replay.”

A few pitches later, O’Keefe was doubled off at second after J.P. Crawford lined out to second base.

That kind of day for the Mariners.

Woo, the 23-year-old rookie right-hander, had his turn in the rotation skipped Saturday as the Mariners remain cautious with his workload. He’s in line to pitch Tuesday back in Seattle against the Angels.

The Mariners will need bullpen reinforcements when they leave Tampa Bay on Sunday night and arrive back home Monday for a quick turnaround to open a three-game series against the Angels.

They will make a move or two (or three?) to bring in some fresh arms. Servais acknowledged as much Saturday.

The Mariners opted for a bullpen day in Woo’s place Saturday. Right-hander Trent Thornton served as the “opener,” pitching two strong innings, allowing one unearned run with one hit, one walk and three strikeouts.

Luke Weaver was the “bulk” pitcher after that, and he allowed four runs on four hits over 4.1 innings.

Weaver was dealing his first time through the Rays lineup. But he walked Walls with two outs in the fifth inning, putting two runners on for Brandon Lowe, who turned on the first pitch and doubled down the right-field line to drive in two runs.

That cut the Mariners’ lead to 4-3.

The Mariners took advantage of an erratic Aaron Civale to score three runs in the top of the first inning, and Julio Rodriguez hit a home run off a Tropicana Field catwalk in the second inning to give the Mariners a 4-1 lead.

Rodriguez has 29 home runs this season, to go along with 36 steals, closing in on becoming just the second Mariners player to post a 30-30 season.

After the Rays took a 5-4 lead in the seventh, Mariners tied it up at 5-5 with two outs in the eighth when Eugenio Suarez scored from third on a wild pitch – the first pitch thrown by reliever Robert Stephenson.