Mariners manager Scott Servais responded to Trevor Bauer’s assessment of his outing on Monday against Seattle, which included three homers in the fifth inning that ended the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner’s evening.
After Evan White, José Marmolejos and Mitch Haniger homered off him in his final inning, Bauer told reporters of his outing: “I got what I wanted out of it. The fifth inning, there really wasn’t any thought of sequencing or whatever. I was just throwing pitches. That’s not a really good mind frame to be in when you’re trying to get guys out. But I was just finishing off the night, trying to get my pitch count up.”
On Tuesday, when Servais was describing the Mariners’ offensive improvements over the past week or so, he mimicked Bauer’s response when speaking of his own team.
“Certainly, Bauer was on top of his game early,” Servais said. “I just wanted everybody to know our guys weren’t trying the first four innings. We decided to try in the fifth inning last night, and it worked out. Our guys started trying.
“I know he had said maybe he wasn’t trying in the fifth, but our guys were trying in the fifth. We just didn’t take it seriously the first three or four innings.”
“No, our guys were hitting with one eye shut for the first four innings. We were also trying to breathe through our eyelids as we are focusing on different things that will help us throughout the years. I just want to make [sure] everybody understood they weren’t trying the first four innings.”
Seattle was Bauer’s toughest opponent this spring, at least in the box score. In 7 2/3 innings against the Mariners, Bauer gave up nine hits, six earned runs and four walks.
There’s a chance Bauer could face the Mariners next month. The Dodgers visit T-Mobile Park for a two-game series from April 19-20.
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