The Pressure Absolutely Just Ratcheted Up on Mariners' Manager Scott Servais
The pressure is now fully on Seattle Mariners' manager Scott Servais.
Let's face it, now in his ninth season with only one playoff berth under his belt, the pressure should have already been on Servais, but after firing offensive coordinator and bench coach Brant Brown on Friday afternoon, it's turned up another notch.
The Mariners are in first place at 32-27 but with a tepid offense that ranks near the bottom of most offensive categories, the urgency is real, and with Brown removed from the equation now, there's not many people left to blame or deflect to.
Servais is generally regarded as a solid manager and seems mostly well-liked by players. And in his eight-plus seasons he's got a good record (648-605), but with no World Series appearances in franchise history and only one playoff berth in the last 22 years, the Mariners are clearly operating under the weight of pressure and expectation.
Furthermore, though the M's are 4.0 games up in the American League West, they have failed to fully capitalize on the slow starts and massive injury issues for both the Texas Rangers (4.0 games back) and Houston Astros (6.5 games back). With potentially the best starting pitching group in baseball, and a relatively affordable roster, the M's also feel the pressure to win now before that core gets too expensive and tough decisions have to be made.
Right now, it's easy to blame the offense, so it's easy to blame Brown. But with Brown gone, the target is now on Servais.
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