Ray (0-1) took the loss Friday as the Mariners fell 9-4 to the Guardians, giving up five runs (three earned) on four hits and five walks over 3.1 innings. He struck out three.
A pair of throwing errors on the same play in the second inning -- one by Teoscar Hernandez and the other by Ray himself -- led to Cleveland's first two runs and softened the blow to the southpaw's ERA. The fact that he threw only 51 of 91 pitches for strikes played a bigger role in his early exit. Ray's success the last two seasons has been built on improved command and a walk rate below 10 percent, and it's far too early to assume he's fallen back into old, wild habits. The 31-year-old will look to bounce back in his next start, likely coming next week at home against the Angels.