TAMPA -- The clip was captured in the most timely and organic manner, an encapsulation of the Mariners’ all-time winningest manager who could relate all too well to the situation that his former player and Seattle’s current skipper was in after being ejected on Tuesday night.
Lou Piniella -- the Tampa native who was in the house to visit with and support Dan Wilson -- threw both his hands up and waved them forward in frustration, as Wilson -- who played for him for 10 seasons -- saw his night end in the third inning of a 6-5 loss to the Rays after being ejected by home-plate umpire Manny Gonzalez.
Wilson was defending Seattle’s dugout at George M. Steinbrenner Field after Gonzalez had ejected someone else on the bench for arguing balls and strikes, which was later revealed to be right fielder Dominic Canzone. And the discussion between Wilson and Gonzalez -- albeit not very vocal, contrasted to Piniella’s more animated moments over his 23-year managerial career -- didn’t last long either.
“Lou wanted to win more than anybody in the ballpark,” Wilson said pregame. “I think that was really impressed on me -- the idea of how important tonight’s game is to win. I think as you take that forward and you prepare guys, helping them to understand that being prepared and ready to go to battle at 7 o’clock is what it’s all about.”
Asked in passing about the on-field exchange postgame, Canzone said: “I’ve got nothing. I didn’t say anything.”
The visit from Piniella lifted many within the Mariners’ clubhouse on Tuesday, coming after a closed-doors gathering that delayed media availability by a full hour. Yet Wilson didn’t use the word “meeting” when describing the dialogue that came before another gut-punch loss, Seattle’s 10th in its past 12 road games.
“It was more of an open forum, and it was guys having a chance to say what they felt,” Wilson said. “I think we all feel the same. We know what’s in front of us. We know the opportunity that exists. We know the commitments that have been made to this organization and this club and we want to deliver on that. We want to do it for ourselves, for our fans and for the city. That’s really what it boils down to, and being able to get on the same page.”
Whatever was said appeared to have immediate carryover in the game’s early stages -- with Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodríguez and Jorge Polanco each hitting solo homers in the fourth inning, after Bryan Woo coughed up a two-run lead in the first.
But it didn’t lead them to the finish line.
The offense came away with only a sacrifice fly from Cole Young despite two plate appearances with the bases loaded in the seventh. Then immediately after, a taxed and tired bullpen suffered another hiccup, when Gabe Speier allowed his first two batters to reach. He then struck out Brandon Lowe on three pitches but remained in the game despite Matt Brash warming, only to give up a two-run double to Junior Caminero that scorched through third baseman Eugenio Suárez at 104.7 mph.
“That spot, I think where we were in the lineup, felt good about sending [Speier] out there,” Wilson said, after bench coach Manny Acta took over as acting manager. “It just didn't work out.”
Seattle again loaded the bases in the ninth, this time with no outs, and again were only able to come away with a sacrifice fly. Raleigh was the third out in both frames, with a strikeout in the seventh and a sky-high popout in the ninth to Caminero, putting a bow on the banner day from Tampa Bay’s rising star, who reached 40 homers and 100 RBIs.
Piniella tried to impart some wisdom during this trying stretch.
“Keep the players nice and loose,” Piniella said. “I told him how proud I am of the job he’s done. Have the guys have fun. It’s important, but it’s not the end of the world. I wish I had that in me when I managed.”
Wilson was here last season, when the Mariners finished one game shy of reaching the postseason (excluding tiebreakers), but he was trying to steer the ship of a team already in place, taking over on Aug. 22 after Scott Servais was relieved of managerial duties.
This year, it’s firmly his team -- and with it as stinging losses pile up, more ownership. Which is why the pregame gathering was called in the first place.
“A loss is a loss; it's frustrating one way or the other,” Wilson said. “But our guys, like I said, the effort they put forward tonight, we're heading in the right direction, and we've just got to continue on this path.”