Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais seemingly pins loss to Philadelphia Phillies on Julio Rodriguez: "It's a mistake, and it cost us a run"
The Seattle Mariners suffered their 14th defeat of the season on Thursday to the Philadelphia Phillies. It was a tight and low-scoring affair that ended 1-0 on the night in favor of the Phillies.
Mariners manager Scott Servais was quick to point out the mistake that cost them the run and ended up costing them the game, too. The manager seemed to pin the result on outfielder Julio Rodriguez, who played center field.
Rodriguez is one of the brightest young talents in the MLB and has proved himself after a stellar 2022 season. He was named an All-Star and also bagging the AL Rookie of the Year and Silver Slugger awards. He's one of the most promising young players on the Seattle Mariners' roster.
The incident occurred in the bottom of the second innings when a George Kirby pitch was hit down center field by Kody Clemens of the Phillies. Rodriguez was the player at hand who collected the ball.
Rodriguez overthrew beyond his teammate at second base, which cost them a run and gave the Phillies the lead. The lead remained intact for the rest of the game and turned out to be the only run scored by either team.
Manager Scott Servais attested that it was a costly mistake that cost them the game as he alluded to the young outfielder's error:
"It doesn't show up as an error or anything like that, but it's a mistake, and it cost us a run, ultimately the game-winning run. He's got to hit the cut-off man."
Scott Servais on today's game-determining play:
"It doesn't show up as an error or anything like that, but it's a mistake, and it cost us a run, ultimately the game-winning run. He's got to hit the cut-off man." https://t.co/KGUr83513h
Seattle Mariners picking up pace in new MLB season
Before Thursday's loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, the Seattle Mariners had won the previous two games against them. The St. Louis Cardinals suffered the same fate before the Mariners, who have plenty to be happy about after the string of performances they've put together in the MLB.
It's a rare sight nowadays to see a manager publicly blame a player for a loss, especially if that player is one of the most talented youngsters. Yet, Scott Servais did not hold back while condemning Julio Rodriguez's mistake.
It will be interesting to see if their dynamic changes in the days ahead and the impact it might have on the player. It's still early in the season, and Rodriguez will have plenty of opportunities to make up for it.