SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners will be ditching their starting pitching plans for the second weekend in a row.
Entering Saturday’s game between the Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays, the former planned for a piggyback outing with Logan Gilbert getting the start and Emerson Hancock coming out of the bullpen.
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The planned arrangement came a week after the Mariners were scheduled to go with the same piggyback duo for a game against the Cleveland Guardians, which they changed, giving Gilbert and Hancock each a true start for games two and three of the series June 27 and 28, respectively.
Now, Seattle is making a change again. Per manager Dan Wilson, Gilbert will get a true start in game two against the Blue Jays on Saturday and Hancock will start in the series finale Sunday.
“It’s been a long first half here,” Wilson said in a pregame interview Saturday. “We’re trying to get everyone slotted the best that we can in terms of that. We’re just looking at it in different ways and right now it’s Logan today and Emerson tomorrow.”
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Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Emerson Hancock throws during a game against the Cleveland Guardians on June 28 at Progressive Field in Cleveland. | Ken Blaze/Imagn Images
The Mariners also planned for a piggyback outing sometime during the team’s upcoming six-game road trip before the All-Star Break, which includes series against the Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays.
Wilson said that the team will likely go with a six-man rotation until the All-Star Break, but kept the possibility open for the team to return to the original piggyback plan.
“Likely that’s the way it’s gonna turn out,” Wilson said. “That’s the way we’re looking at it, at least for the moment. As we’ve seen all along, it can change. But I think, at the moment, that’s how we’re looking at it (as a six-man rotation).”
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Gilbert getting the true start Saturday will give him a chance to reach a major milestone.
The 2024 All-Star needs nine strikeouts to reach 1,000 for his career. He’s fanned nine or more batters in 2-of-17 starts this season. Saturday will be Gilbert’s first start of July. He had 38 strikeouts in 31.2 innings of work across five starts in June.
For the season, Gilbert has a 3.42 ERA and has struck out 107 batters in 100 innings of work across his 17 outings. He’s reached at least 100 fanned batters and 100 innings pitched in all six seasons of his major league career.
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Hancock will enter Sunday’s series finale with a 3.47 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 90.2 innings pitched across 16 starts.
— Mariners utility player Brendan Donovan (left groin strain) is set to begin a rehab assignment Tuesday. It’s not yet determined whether he’ll be assigned to the High-A Everett AquaSox or Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers. He’s been out since May 17.
— Seattle center fielder Julio Rodriguez (seven-day concussion injured list) began light physical activities Saturday, including a light run on the treadmill. He’s still dealing with a headache as a result of his concussion and it’s not yet determined whether he’ll make the initial flight with the team to Miami.
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