AL DIVISION SERIES: MARINERS VS ASTROS

October 14, 2022

Scott Servais

T-Mobile Park

Seattle Mariners

Workout Day Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We'll get started with Scott Servais.

Q. There seemed to be a lot of conviction in that clubhouse yesterday, even after a tough loss, two tough losses, that you guys weren't finished and it didn't seem to be empty words, empty promises. How do you sort assess the pulse of your team as we sit here today?

SCOTT SERVAIS: Two things really: I think one is everybody in our clubhouse feels we're either a pitch or an at-bat away from maybe winning both games in Houston. So that's first of all.

I think, secondly, and maybe just as importantly, as everybody knows, the impact that the fans are going to have in the game here the next couple days in Seattle.

So we're excited to get back out there. Certainly things didn't go our way in Houston, but we also know what the environment's going to be like here and we're really stoked about that and looking forward to it. So a combination of those two things.

The guys should try to be as positive as they can be, coming off of two tough losses there. But we'll go out and play tomorrow and we'll be ready to go.

Q. You talked a week and a half ago about what the emotional swings of the playoffs were going to be like. How do you feel like your guys have handled such drastic swings that you've faced so far?

SCOTT SERVAIS: I think I nailed it, didn't I? (Laughing.)

That's about as drastic as it could have gone here with the highs in Toronto and what we went through over in Houston. I don't know if I was that prophetic in saying it. You just you know that's what happened, and if you're going to make it through, there's going to be some adversity you're going to have to deal with along the way, certainly momentum swings without a course of a game and then how certain teams are going and then how do you get it back moving in your favor again.

I think we've done a really good job of recognizing that and understanding to get the momentum back in your favor again you just got to focus on doing you will little things right, things that allow you to get in this position. And we have done that. Even in the game yesterday, when we were down in the game, we created a lot of opportunities. The traffic was there. You know, like I often say, each game comes down to two or three different at-bats during the course of the game and you have to capitalize on 'em and we weren't able to do yesterday.

So we've done all the things right there as far as putting ourselves in position to switch momentum again, just didn't quite get it done yesterday.

Q. You spoke prior to the series about how impressed you were with how Julio has improved, routines, time management, things like that. On the field where has his biggest growth been opening day to today?

SCOTT SERVAIS: Good question. I think probably making in-game adjustments has been a little bit better. It often takes younger players awhile to get the feel of, okay, they're pitching me this way or this is what they're doing to me in certain situations or particular pitchers are doing to me. I think his awareness there and making those adjustments a bit quicker has really helped him.

I think the base running instinctive stuff, I know when the season started, he was excited about his ability to steal bases, and he was just taking off, first pitch, it was unbelievable, and all of a sudden he did. I think he might have had 10 or 11 before he got caught. He went one day in New York, I remember, and the guy slide stepped and it was really quick time, it was not a situation, if the catcher put a ball anywhere close he was going to be out, and he just came back and said, I needed to know. I needed to know how quick the pitcher had to be and the catcher had to be to actually throw me out and now I know.

And I said, okay, now you know.

So he's learned some things there of just the nuances of the game and when to push the gas, when to back off a little bit. But he's still young. He asks great questions. That's the big thing about him, he's super coachable and he'll continue to get better.

Q. Cal was really hard on himself last night talking about the pitches, specifically to Álvarez. What were your thoughts on him taking that much responsibility on it. I mean, they weren't horrible pitches, but he really talked about it was his responsibility for calling back-to-back.

SCOTT SERVAIS: I'm proud of Cal. We spend a lot of time incorporating his thoughts on game planning and where certain pitchers are and more with game management as much as anything. Yesterday into the game, he and I met specifically. We met together. I wanted to talk to him one-on-one before the game, make sure we were on the same page, and he was clearly on the same page.

He didn't do anything like wrong or anything he could not sleep about at night. He's just frustrated by the result that happens. But he's very accountable, and that says a lot. I think that's one of the reasons he's so endeared by his teammates, is he does stand up and say, okay, I screwed this up or we need to get better in this area. And he does. He makes adjustments. He'll never forget yesterday's game. It's a huge growing opportunity, learning experience for him that will serve him well probably in tomorrow's game as we get going along there.

So I'm actually proud of the way he stood up, and that's, you need to have that kind of accountability upon yourself to be a good catcher in this league. I really believe it. Like, you know that you're the one guy on the team, on the field other, than the pitcher that can actually affect the outcome as much as anybody else on the field. And he really takes it to heart.

So I heard some of the comments he made and I talked to him quickly right after it happened in the game. I sat down with him, and he goes, hey, that didn't go as planned, whatever.

I said, okay, we need to move only. Move on. The game is still to be won. And I thought he did turn the page. But after the game you're always going to reflect upon it and I didn't have a problem with it at all.

Q. When you have a hitter as complete as Yordan Álvarez, somebody who seemingly doesn't have holes anywhere, how do you game plan that?

SCOTT SERVAIS: (Laughing.) Instead of throwing it 4 inches off the plate, throw it a foot off the plate, I guess. (Laughing.) That's the best way to go about it.

I thought, game planning, going into the game yesterday, and again Luis Castillo, awesome pitcher, great stuff, and what makes him really good is his belief that he can get any hitter out in any situation. Understood.

But going into the game yesterday, we wanted to be careful with him. I thought he did a great job the first two at-bats. He really did a nice job mixing back and forth, changing locations, eye levels, all the things you need to do. Got a couple mis-hits out of him, created a couple outs. It happens.

When hitters get that hot, I say he's in the zone, you know, the ball looks this big (indicating), you can't slow him down, you can't speed him up. Sometimes it's best to just pass on by. Unfortunately, they have other players in their lineup too that are really good, so it doesn't make it all that easy all the time.

But it's a challenge. There's no question about it. You have to take what your pitcher on the mound has that particular day and what pitch he controls the best. You can just say, Oh, just throw them all off-speed pitches. Well, that doesn't always work either, okay, if you leave one in the bad part of the plate. Or just throw them all fastballs. Whatever pitches you can control the best, try to get in the right spots, and then go from there. And if you get behind in the count or if it doesn't work out, like I said, you roll on by and go to the next guy.

Q. Offensively what have you seen from your ball club here in the postseason? It seems like the intensity and the quality of at-bats are really high, just one plate appearance after the next.

SCOTT SERVAIS: Glad you brought it up. I think our offensive approach and our ability to get guys on base and score runs, for the most part, obviously, yesterday we weren't as productive with runners in scoring position, but leading up to that as good as we've been at any point in the season, up and down the lineup. I think we've had guys, you've seen it throughout, they get hot for extended periods of time and carry us. And maybe two or three at a time. But just the quality at-bat up and down the lineup has been outstanding. A tribute to our guys and the game planning. That they have all bought into nine versus one. Them together, them nine, have a better chance of beating that one guy on the mound than just one guy individually trying to hit a couple homers.

They clearly have bought into that and understanding that's what leads to winning baseball. Certainly at this time of year. So I couldn't be any happier with the quality of our at-bats.

We took our walks yesterday. We continued to grind through their starting pitching. And when do you that good things usually happen. Ultimately you need to get the big hit. And we just weren't able to get that yesterday. But up and down the lineup it's been really good.

Q. Talking to your players postgame the amount of belief they have and their resiliency and just in being able to figure this out and come back. A lot of 'em talked about the success and how well they played, but a lot of 'em said it just comes from something else. Where do you think it comes from? Was it from some of the guys from last years, is it Mitch and Ty talking about it? Or is it what you guys did this year at 29-39? Where do you think that belief comes from that they can be resilient and bounce back?

SCOTT SERVAIS: I think we had got the team together after the game yesterday. And I thought it was appropriate at that time to kind of talk where we're at in this moment and what it's going to take to turn it around.

I mentioned earlier, the belief for me comes from a collective group that we have been there before. We have come back when people have written us off.

And really every team in the playoffs, outside maybe the Astros or the Dodgers, didn't really have to go through those parts of the season. Everybody else did. And when you make it through the other side, when you go through a lull or a low period like that, it does build confidence within the group. And I think that's what you're seeing come out.

So we've been there before throughout the course of our season. We figure out a way to play a really good game. You still got to win it. You can play a good game and lose it. And we've certainly gone through that here recently. But you got to play a good game and win it and finish it.

But we got pieces to do it, there's no question about it. And kind of the, you know, the factor that I don't think is getting talked about enough, I think it's going to show up tomorrow in the first inning, is when there's 45,000 Mariner fans in the stands pumped and ready to go and all behind us. Because we certainly need it.

I've talked about it, when we clinched or ended the drought, how valuable our fans base has been to this team. This team really, somehow we get wired, we get going when it gets loud here. And I really ask everybody to bring it. Not just our team, but all 45,000 people that are going to show up here tomorrow. Because we need it.