Look, he fucked up, all right?  He made a stupid decision and it backfired.  But, don’t tell me he had no other choice!

Did he have a choice when he used 3 pitchers in the 7th inning to get 3 outs?  Yes he did.  Did he have a choice to bring back Dan Altavilla to start the 8th inning, as he was the one who finished the 7th and had only thrown 8 pitches at that point?  Yes he did.  But, you know what?  What’s done is done.  It’s the 8th inning now, and Scott Servais is tasked with protecting a 1-run lead against the division-leading Rangers, to help stop a 3-game losing streak in a playoff race.

Do I begrudge him going to his closer, to get the rare 6-out save?  No I don’t.  And, through two batters, it looked like a genius move, as Diaz only needed 5 pitches to get the first two outs of the inning.  Then, it took him about 20 more pitches to get that third out, and here’s where I have the fucking problem.

Scott Servais, I appreciate you’re a man with a plan and you’re sticking to your guns, but it all goes out the FUCKING window when your closer needs 25 pitches to get through the fucking 8th inning!  At that point, traditional closer roles don’t matter.  At that point, only winning the game matters.  And by leaving Edwin Diaz in there to start the 9th, you might as well have thrown Jesus Sucre out there, because he would’ve given us just as good of a chance of winning!

Where the fuck was Arquimedes Caminero?  If you tell me he wasn’t available last night, under any circumstances, then guess what?  Now, I’m calling you out for wasting three pitchers in the 7th.  If he WAS available, then I’m sorry, but you’re a fucking fool for not turning to him in the 9th.  I don’t care if the Rangers would have been a poor matchup against his fastball.  I DON’T CARE IF HIS ARM WOULD’VE FALLEN THE FUCK OFF!  You don’t try to squeeze 50 pitches out of Edwin Diaz just to see if he has what it takes!  You cut your fucking losses, admit your plan failed, and put your 8th inning guy out there in the 9th.  Simple!  Little!  Equation!

This isn’t the first instance of boneheaded bullshit out of Servais, and it certainly won’t be the last, but God damn I had high hopes for him being someone different.  Someone who wasn’t going to be a fucking slave to traditional baseball ethos.  Someone who’d go with the best pitching matchup, regardless of whether it’s the 6th or 9th inning.  Someone who doesn’t believe in the fucking Sac Bunt that NEVER FUCKING WORKS.

Instead, he’s just another Lloyd McClendon clone.  Great.  You know, we had that guy last year!  Did exactly the same shit as Servais, down to the letter.  Could’ve saved yourself some bucks.  Just sayin’, the manager’s job is total bullshit.

Have fun fucking things up again today, Mariners!  Keep fighting, you fucking losers!