Mariners: 5 takeaways from much needed series win series versus Indians

We break down a welcome series which saw the Mariners return to winning ways by taking three of four games against the Cleveland Indians.

What fans expect from the Mariners this season depends on a variety of aspects, some more realistic than others. However, regardless of individual opinions, it seems fair to assume most people agree the series win against the Indians was much needed.

Seattle was coming off a demoralizing five-game road trip where they only won one game. Overall, they had lost four of their previous five series and were officially in a slump.

Things did not start too well on Thursday night against the Indians, as the Mariners were facing the ignominy of being no-hit in consecutive home games. They managed to avoid this fate in the eighth inning, but still lost 4-2.

However, something then clicked into place for Seattle, as they won consecutive games 7-3. They then managed to clinch a welcome series win with a thrilling but tense 3-2 victory on Sunday.

There were a lot of talking points following the events of the last four games. Here are five takeaways from the series, together with some other notable highlights:

5) Promising glimpses despite tough debut for Gilbert

Despite the Mariners’ mounting injury list of pitchers, there was still some surprise about the timing of Logan Gilbert‘s promotion to the Majors. He had only started once in Triple-A this season, albeit an excellent outing with five strikeouts and just one run allowed in 5.0 innings.

In addition, Gilbert had no time to get used to the idea or settle in, as he made his Major League debut on the same day he was called up. What followed was expected, with a combination of struggles and glimpses of his undoubted talent.

The 24-year-old couldn’t have started any better, as he completed a 1-2-3 first inning in just eight pitches. His fastball was working well as it reached up to 97 mph and all three outs came courtesy of fly balls.

However, Gilbert started to make some mistakes in the second inning, due to his breaking ball not being at its best. As manager Scott Servais remarked afterwards, it is important for any pitcher to have a reliable secondary pitch in games.

Of course none of this should be seen as a criticism of 2018 14th overall draft pick. While the issue at times with his control was notable, it was hardly surprising for someone adjusting to playing in their first ever Major League game.

Regardless, Gilbert’s lack of control and a reliable secondary pitch still contributed to the loss. He allowed a homer and two runs in both the second and third innings, to put the Mariners in a 4-0 hole from which they could not recover.

At least the Apopka, Florida native bounced back in the fourth inning, to offer another glimpse of what he is capable of. He recorded three strikeouts, before Servais made the decision to take him out of the game.

For the day, five hits and four earned runs in 4.0 innings admittedly isn’t anything to write home about. At the same time though, there was still plenty to be encouraged about.

Consider that Gilbert threw strikes on 52 of his 71 pitches. He generated 10 swinging strikes, while recording five strikeouts and no walks.

Speaking to the media after the game, Gilbert was well aware of what cost him on the night. He said:

“Obviously, I made some mistakes and they make you pay for it. I definitely don’t get away with all the mistakes that maybe I did coming up (through the minor leagues).

“Of course, just falling behind in the count, they are usually going to make you pay for it. So when I did leave pitches out over the middle of the plate, more often than not they took advantage of them.”

Overall though, Gilbert showed good poise throughout, even when faced with adversity. He made a point of telling the media he feels like he belongs in the Majors and has confidence in his abilities at the top level.

How long the 2017 Atlantic Sun Conference Pitcher of the Year will stay in the rotation remains to be seen, with several factors to consider. However, he will make another start at least, likely during the next series at home to the Detroit Tigers.