Ray in Opening Day form in Mariners debut

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Might the Mariners be alluding to their rotation plans for Opening Day with three more turns through before the regular season begins in Minnesota?

If Seattle stays on its current schedule, and he continues to pitch every fifth day, Robbie Ray would be in line to take the hill on Thursday, April 7, at Target Field -- and he’s on a fast track to being stretched out enough for it, too.

Ray completed four innings in his Cactus League debut on Tuesday, going one frame beyond his scheduled three thanks to his efficiency. He tossed 57 pitches, sat in the 93-94 mph range while topping out at 95 on his fastball and flashed his elite slider en route to five strikeouts against 16 batters faced in the 5-5 tie with the Cubs.

Despite the condensed Cactus League slate that will limit starters to just four outings at most, Ray appears on -- or perhaps, ahead -- of schedule.

“It felt really good to be on the mound, wearing a Mariners jersey and getting out there and being able to be with the team,” Ray said. “... This team is built to win. Like I said, they're young and they're and they're hungry, so it's going to be really fun.”

Tuesday represented a culmination of sorts after 112 long days since Ray signed a five-year, $115 million contract with Seattle, a financial commitment that comes with expectations and ambition, both individually and among his new team. Ray was brought up alongside Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander in Detroit, then Zack Greinke in Arizona -- all of whom will likely be Hall of Famers. Ray said at his introductory press conference on Dec. 1 that he’s ready to take on a similar leadership role for the stable of young, promising pitchers in Seattle.

“I think, for me, if I can push guys any way possible, push them deeper into games,” Ray said Tuesday. “They all come to me and say, ‘How do you strike guys out?’ It's like, ‘Well, I don't try to strike us out. I'm trying to get deep into games.’ That's how you end up striking guys out. I get to the point where you know, 0-2, 1-2, I take a shot at it and I and if I get it, great. If I don't, I'm looking for contact. So early outs, I think, is what I preached to these guys, being in the zone, and that's just kind of a mentality. I've tried to relay that message, for sure.”

Such a leadership role would likely come with the distinction of being an Opening Day starter, a label that Ray has yet to experience in eight big league seasons, though the meticulously routine-oriented lefty says he’s not thinking that far off, at least not yet.

“I'm just here to win,” Ray said. “And whatever game I go out there for, I’m trying to win that game. My focus is one game at a time, one pitch at a time, one out at a time. So, I'm here. Today was where I'm at. I look forward to tomorrow.”

Mariners manager Scott Servais isn’t yet ready to put anything in ink for the first game, either.

“I really want to get everybody through the rotation once and kind of see where we're at,” Servais said. “He’s throwing the ball great. I really like the way all of our starters have thrown the ball here early on.”

Ray would be a certainty for the spot if not for Marco Gonzales, the unquestioned leader of the pitching staff over the past three seasons, each of which he started on Opening Day. Gonzales has been through the thick and thin of the Mariners’ multi-year roster overhaul, and he relishes the symbolic weight of starting the season opener. As it stands, Gonzales’ pitching schedule is lining up for the second game of the season.

Last year, Servais named Gonzales the Opening Day starter before any team had named theirs. So far this spring, only three teams have named their Opening Day starter: the Mets (Jacob deGrom), Red Sox (Nathan Eovaldi) and Tigers (Eduardo Rodriguez).

If the Mariners go with Ray, it’s still possible that they could line up Gonzales to start Seattle’s home opener at T-Mobile Park on April 15 against the Astros. Though it wouldn’t be Game 1, pitching in front of what will almost certainly be a sold-out crowd against a rival and the defending division champs would also carry plenty of significance.